LONDON, Sep 18 (CGTN) - Britain's longest serving monarch will be honored with a full state funeral at Westminster Abbey, with King Charles III and Camila Queen consort hosting a state reception for world leaders at Buckingham Palace. The biggest security operation in British history is now underway. More than 10,000 police officers are on duty in the capital, drawing on reinforcements from all of the UK's 43 police forces.
There are police spotters on rooftops, sniffer dogs on the streets and marine officers on the River Thames. 36 kilometers of barriers have been set up in central London to control the crowds. Drains, phone boxes and rubbish bins have been searched by hand and flying drones over central London has been temporarily banned.
Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy, has stated that the funeral will also be the biggest security operation that has ever been mounted in the UK.
"I can confirm that this will be the largest single policing event that the Met Police has ever undertaken," he said. With leaders arriving from 185 countries Cundy revealed, "We will have hundreds of world leaders, UK leaders, and VIPs here in London. It is a hugely complex operation."
The State Funeral will take place at 1000 GMT on Monday.
Leaders from across the globe unite
There will be up to 2,000 invited attendees at the Queen's funeral, among who will be Royals such as Crown Prince of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah and world leaders such as U.S President Joe Biden and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
China's Vice President Wang Qishan is flying in to make up a who's-who of global politics that will include Emmanuel Macron and Ursula von der Leyen.
King Charles III has invited scores of other dignitaries and royals from around the globe to a reception at Buckingham Palace on Sunday night ahead of the funeral for his mother on Monday.
Biden has been granted special permission to use his own transportation to the funeral in an armored limousine that has been nicknamed "The Beast." Built to secret service specifications, according to NBC, the vehicle's armor is composed of aluminium, ceramic and steel and can be as thick as eight inches at some points.
He was one of the 14 U.S. presidents the Queen met, starting with Harry Truman in 1951 when she was still a princess. "Her legacy will loom large in the pages of British history, and in the story of our world," Biden has said.
As well as performing her diplomatic duties, the Queen was also Patron of over 500 organisations in her lifetime, including charities, military associations and public service organisations.
Confirmed attendance
At least 43 national leaders and 31 Royal attendees, will be present, with several hundred dignitaries expected to arrive in the UK before Monday, making the Queen's funeral the biggest of its kind in history.
The British government have said they have only invited heads of state or a representatives at an ambassadorial level from countries with which they have full diplomatic relations.
Countries that have not been invited include Syria and Venezuela because London does not currently have normal diplomatic relations with those states. The UK has also not invited representatives from Russia, Belarus or Myanmar after it imposed economic sanctions on those countries.
Analysts say that the funeral is likely to be the biggest live event in TV history with over 4.1 billion people watching the event, nearly double the number of people who watched Princess Diana's funeral in 1997.
Funeral details
The Queen's body has been lying in state at the historic Westminster Hall since Wednesday, and people from all walks of life and from around the globe have been filing past in a constant stream, queuing overnight to pay their respects.
On Monday 19 September, there will be ceremonial processions in London and Windsor, with Her Majesty's coffin travelling from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey for the State Funeral, a very short journey that will not be part of the public procession.
At Wellington Arch, the coffin will be transferred to the State Hearse to travel to Windsor. As the State Hearse departs Wellington Arch, the Parade will give a Royal Salute and the National Anthem will be played.
The coffin will then be carried by the State Hearse along South Carriage Drive to the Albert Memorial, where it will depart for Windsor.
At 3:10pm, the State Hearse will travel in procession along Albert Road and the Long Walk, to St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle where a Committal Service will take place.
