“deeply immoral”
Kremlin angry over ban on Queen’s funeral

09/16/2022, 5:14 am

State guests from around the world are expected to attend the funeral when the British Queen is laid to rest on Monday. But not everyone is welcome: apart from North Korea and Myanmar, Russia has not received an invitation either. The Kremlin reacted sharply.

Moscow has complained about London’s “immoral” and “blasphemous” decision not to invite a Russian representative to Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the British government was trying to use the national tragedy that touched the hearts of millions of people around the world “for geopolitical purposes, to settle scores with our country”.

Zakharova criticized the attempt as “deeply immoral” and “blasphemous” because it would damage the memory of Elizabeth II. She accused London of using the Russian military operation in Ukraine as an “excuse” to exclude Russia from the memorial service.

Elizabeth II died last Thursday at the age of 96 at her Scottish residence, Balmoral. The Queen’s funeral will take place on Monday at Westminster Abbey, along with state guests from around the world. Invited guests include more than a hundred queens, kings and other heads of state. Russia, Belarus, North Korea and Myanmar did not receive invitations.

Relations between Russia and Great Britain have been extremely tense over the years. Tensions were brewing in England in 2018 after former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter were poisoned.