PM Shehbaz to attend Queen Elizabeth's funeral

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will visit London to attend the State funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in London on September 19. The late queen died after 70 years on the throne.

"At the invitation of the British government, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will represent Pakistan at the State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in London on 19 September 2022," Foreign Office FO) said in a statement on Saturday.

Upon the recommendation of the FO, PM Shehbaz had earlier accorded his approval for observing a day of mourning in Pakistan, on September 12, on the demise of the queen.

The Queen will be honoured with Britain's first state funeral in almost six decades on Monday. More than 2,000 guests are expected to attend the ceremony at Westminster Abbey.

Who’s invited – and who’s not – to Queen Elizabeth’s funeral

Queen Elizabeth II, who was also the world's oldest and longest-serving head of state, came to the throne following the death of her father King George VI on Feb. 6, 1952, when she was just 25.

She was crowned in June the following year.

Elizabeth II was the first queen of Pakistan, taking over her father King George VI's role as monarch. She reigned over the country till March 23, 1956, when Pakistan became a republic.