Why King’s coronation guest list is breaking convention and causing controversy

Published

2 years ago

May 6, 2023

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For the world’s most powerful, there can be no fixture quite as rare, glittering and sought after as a British coronation.

There has not been one for seven decades and leaders and their retinues are flying in to take part.

For Britain, it is a chance to show off its best assets and exude and exert as much soft power as is diplomatically possible at the start of the Carolean era.

King delights fans on palace walkabout – coronation latest

Convention has for centuries dictated that other crowned royals do not attend British coronations. Not this time.

At least four kings and queens and a clutch of princes and princesses are on their way. There will be 90 heads of state in attendance.

US President Joe Biden is following convention and not coming, represented by his wife, the first lady, instead. But most presidents or prime ministers that you would expect will be there.

The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) says 450 foreign dignitaries will be in Westminster Abbey in total – that is about a quarter of the congregation, with 200 nations, realms and Commonwealth countries being represented.

Seating them all will require strict adherence to protocol to avoid causing offence.

In front rows will be foreign royals and representatives of the realms, those 14 countries that still regard the king as head of state.

Behind them, representatives of overseas territories, then representatives from other commonwealth nations with their own heads of state. Behind them, other guests will be seated in strict alphabetical order.

In all, the FCDO will be hosting 220 foreign delegations this weekend.

The list of countries not to receive an embossed invitation from Buckingham Palace is short and predictable. Afghanistan, Belarus, Myanmar, Russia, Syria, Iran and Venezuela. North Korea has been invited but only at ambassadorial level. Nicaragua likewise.

But China has been asked. And that is causing considerable controversy because the man Beijing is sending is widely regarded as the oppressor of Hong Kong. China’s President Xi Jinping has turned down the invite and is sending his vice president instead.

Han Zheng is the Chinese official who did most to rip up the British-Chinese agreement over the former colony, order a brutal crackdown on protests and send hundreds to jail.

The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation told Sky News: “It is pretty disgraceful that the architect of Hong Kong’s demise has been invited to the coronation of King Charles III while other partners with whom the UK has an excellent relationship with, such as Taiwan, have been excluded.

“Who calls the shots in Britain, is it Beijing or our prime minister? Why are we kowtowing to Beijing for the guest list to our own coronation?”

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Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith, who has been sanctioned by the Chinese government, told Sky News: “Han Zheng is primarily responsible for the crack down on democracy campaigners in Hong Kong under the brutal new national security law. Many are British passport holders, particularly Jimmy Lai, journalist and owner of Apple Daily [the Hong Kong pro-democracy paper].

“The architect of this brutal policy in Hong Kong will rub shoulders with the British PM and the King whilst Jimmy Lai and others have lost their freedom.”

Undeterred by the controversy, Britain’s Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will be meeting Han Zheng ahead of the coronation.

His officials say he will be discussing “points of criticism” with the vice president. Among them will be China’s treatment of the Uyghur minority in Xinjiang province and failure to abide by commitments in Hong Kong.

But former Hong Kong governor Chris Patten says Han’s attendance at the coronation shows that China does not give “two hoots” about the UK.

Ministers are exploiting the presence of a host of foreign dignitaries in London for less controversial meetings on the sidelines of the event.

The government will be hoping the coronation will be a powerful projection of Britain’s soft power – not least the attendance of globally-known celebrities, from Joanna Lumley and the Beckhams to Mr Bean (aka Rowan Atkinson).

Among the last to arrive at Westminster Abbey will be the 90 foreign heads of state and at least a dozen royals from other nations.

This time they will be arriving under their own steam we understand unlike for the Queen’s funeral when almost all foreign dignitaries were bussed in from Chelsea.

They will be seated according to strict protocol. By tradition foreign royals do not take part in British coronations. Until now the ceremony had been considered too intimate a moment between the monarch and his or her Creator to have other royals involved.

This time at least four kings and queens and a good number of princes and princesses are expected and will have pride of place. They will be seated in the front rows of foreign dignitaries along with representatives of the Commonwealth realms, those 14 countries that still regard the British monarch as their head of state.

We have already had glimpses of some of the world’s most powerful who have flown in for what must be the most sought after fixture in their calendar, giving the rarity, exclusivity and glittering pageantry of this event. Many attended a pre coronation event last night at Buckingham Palace.

Other countries cannot hope to offer that extraordinary combination. French presidential inaugurations may have pomp and circumstance and the glamorous backdrop of Paris but they have no royals at the centre of it, having despatched theirs by guillotine in the 19th century.

American presidential inaugurations are sought after tickets too for the world’s rich, famous and powerful but they happen every four years and also cannot offer the bling, tradition and ceremony of today’s coronation.

Noone can put on a show quite like the British monarchy and 450 foreign dignitaries are in town to make the most of it.

UK

Palace confirms dates of Trump’s state visit – as King and Queen to host him at Windsor Castle

Published

4 hours ago

July 14, 2025

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Palace confirms dates of Trump's state visit - as King and Queen to host him at Windsor Castle

The dates for Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK have been announced, with the US president due to be welcomed by the King from 17 to 19 September.

Buckingham Palace also confirmed that President Trump and first lady Melania will be hosted by the King and Queen at Windsor Castle.

It was expected that the three-day state visit would take place in September after Mr Trump let slip earlier in April that he believed that was when his second “fest” was being planned for.

Windsor was also anticipated to be the location after the US president told reporters in the Oval Office that the letter from the King said Windsor would be the setting. Refurbishment works at Buckingham Palace also meant that Windsor was used last week for French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit.

This will be Mr Trump’s second state visit to the UK, an unprecedented gesture towards an American leader, having previously been invited to Buckingham Palace in 2019.

He has also been to Windsor Castle before, in 2018, but despite the considerable military pageantry of the day, and some confusion around inspecting the guard, it was simply for tea with Queen Elizabeth II.

Further details of what will happen during the three-day visit in September will be announced in due course.

On Friday, Sky News revealed it is now unlikely that the US president will address parliament, usually an honour given to visiting heads of state as part of their visit. Some MPs had raised significant concerns about him being given the privilege.

But the House of Commons will not be sitting at the time of Mr Trump’s visit as it will rise for party conference season on the 16 September, meaning the president will not be able to speak in parliament as President Macron did during his state visit this week. However, the House of Lords will be sitting.

In February this year, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer presented the US president with the letter from the King inviting him to visit during a meeting at the White House.

After reading it, Mr Trump said it was a “great, great honour”, adding “and that says at Windsor – that’s really something”.

In the letter, the King suggested they might meet at Balmoral or Dumfries House in Scotland first before the much grander state visit. However, it is understood that, although all options were explored, complexities in both the King and Mr Trump’s diaries meant it wasn’t possible.

This week, it emerged that Police Scotland are planning for a summer visit from the US president, which is likely to see him visit one or both of his golf clubs in Aberdeenshire and Ayrshire, and require substantial policing resources and probably units to be called in from elsewhere in the UK.

Precedent for second-term US presidents, who have already made a state visit, is usually tea or lunch with the monarch at Windsor Castle, as was the case for George W Bush and Barack Obama.

UK

Fireball at Southend Airport after small plane crashes

Published

12 hours ago

July 13, 2025

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Fireball at Southend Airport after small plane crashes

A small plane has crashed at Southend Airport in Essex.

Essex Police said it was at the scene of a “serious incident”.

Images posted online showed huge flames and a large cloud of black smoke, with one witness saying they saw a “fireball”.

A police statement said: “We were alerted shortly before 4pm to reports of a collision involving one 12-metre plane.

“We are working with all emergency services at the scene now and that work will be ongoing for several hours.

“We would please ask the public to avoid this area where possible while this work continues.”

It has been reported that the plane involved in the incident is a Beech B200 Super King Air.

According to flight-tracking service Flightradar, it took off at 3.48pm and was bound for Lelystad, a city in the Netherlands.

One man, who was at Southend Airport with his family around the time of the incident, said the aircraft “crashed headfirst into the ground”.

John Johnson said: “About three or four seconds after taking off, it started to bank heavily to its left, and then within a few seconds of that happening, it more or less inverted and crashed.

“There was a big fireball. Obviously, everybody was in shock in terms of witnessing it. All the kids saw it and the families saw it.”

Mr Johnson added that he phoned 999 to report the crash.

Southend Airport said the incident involved “a general aviation aircraft”.

Four flights scheduled to take off from Southend this afternoon were cancelled, according to its website.

Flightradar data shows two planes that had been due to land at Southend were diverted to nearby airports London Gatwick and London Stansted.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said four crews, along with off-road vehicles, have attended the scene.

Four ambulances and four hazardous area response team vehicles are also at the airport, as well as an air ambulance, the East of England Ambulance Service said.

Its statement described the incident as “still developing”.

David Burton-Sampson, the MP for Southend West and Leigh, posted on social media: “I am aware of an incident at Southend Airport. Please keep away and allow the emergency services to do their work.

“My thoughts are with everyone involved.”

Local councillor Matt Dent said on X: “At present all I know is that a small plane has crashed at the airport. My thoughts are with all those involved, and with the emergency services currently responding to the incident.”

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UK

Heidi Alexander says ‘fairness’ will be government’s ‘guiding principle’ when it comes to taxes at next budget

Published

19 hours ago

July 13, 2025

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Heidi Alexander says 'fairness' will be government's 'guiding principle' when it comes to taxes at next budget

Another hint that tax rises are coming in this autumn’s budget has been given by a senior minister.

Speaking to Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander was asked if Sir Keir Starmer and the rest of the cabinet had discussed hiking taxes in the wake of the government’s failed welfare reforms, which were shot down by their own MPs.

Trevor Phillips asked specifically if tax rises were discussed among the cabinet last week – including on an away day on Friday.

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Tax increases were not discussed “directly”, Ms Alexander said, but ministers were “cognisant” of the challenges facing them.

Asked what this means, Ms Alexander added: “I think your viewers would be surprised if we didn’t recognise that at the budget, the chancellor will need to look at the OBR forecast that is given to her and will make decisions in line with the fiscal rules that she has set out.

“We made a commitment in our manifesto not to be putting up taxes on people on modest incomes, working people. We have stuck to that.”

Ms Alexander said she wouldn’t comment directly on taxes and the budget at this point, adding: “So, the chancellor will set her budget. I’m not going to sit in a TV studio today and speculate on what the contents of that budget might be.

“When it comes to taxation, fairness is going to be our guiding principle.”

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Afterwards, shadow home secretary Chris Philp told Phillips: “That sounds to me like a barely disguised reference to tax rises coming in the autumn.”

He then went on to repeat the Conservative attack lines that Labour are “crashing the economy”.

Mr Philp then attacked the prime minister as “weak” for being unable to get his welfare reforms through the Commons.

Discussions about potential tax rises have come to the fore after the government had to gut its welfare reforms.

Sir Keir had wanted to change Personal Independence Payments (PIP), but a large Labour rebellion forced him to axe the changes.

With the savings from these proposed changes – around £5bn – already worked into the government’s sums, they will now need to find the money somewhere else.

The general belief is that this will take the form of tax rises, rather than spending cuts, with more money needed for military spending commitments, as well as other areas of priority for the government, such as the NHS.