Kremlin: Putin Never Planned to Attend Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin was never planning to attend the funeral of UK Queen Elizabeth II, regardless of whether he was invited or not, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.

"As you know, the president sent a telegram with condolences, and he has not had any plans to participate in any memorial or other events from the very beginning," Peskov said.

The public farewell ceremony to Queen Elizabeth II will be held at Westminster Abby from September 14-19. The late monarch's funeral will take place at 11 a.m. local time (10:00 GMT) on September 19.

The ceremony will be attended by almost 500 officials from different countries, including US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Spanish King Felipe VI and his wife, Queen Letizia, among others.

Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8, at the age of 96, at Balmoral Castle in Scotland surrounded by her family, after over 70 years on the British throne. Her eldest son, Charles III, became the new king of the United Kingdom immediately after her death, but the official ceremony took place on September 10.

UK media reported, citing sources, that Russia, Belarus and Myanmar have not been invited to the queen's funeral.