Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday departed for the United Kingdom to represent Pakistan at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
Sharif was invited to the state funeral, slated for September 19, by the British government, a statement by the Foreign Office read. A tweet by the Prime Minister’s Office showed Sharif embarking on a plane followed by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif. The prime minister will then proceed to the United Nations General Assembly Session in New York scheduled over September 20-26, 2022, another tweet said.
— Prime Minister's Office (@PakPMO) September 17, 2022
Queen Elizabeth II, the world’s longest-serving monarch, died on September 8. The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon, the Buckingham Palace said in a statement. “The King and the Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow, the statement went on to read.
Her children, Prince William and Prince Harry had rushed to her bedside at Balmoral after being alerted by doctors concerned about her health. She died hours later surrounded by family.
The Queen’s death will see Britain and her Commonwealth realms enter into a ten-day period of mourning. Elizabeth was crowned Queen in 1952 at the age of 26 and reigned for 70 years. Her eldest son Charles, the former Prince of Wales, is now King. He is also head of state for 14 Commonwealth realms.
