Herzog to Represent Israel at Queen Elizabeth’s Funeral

By Hamodia Staff

YERUSHALAYIM – President Isaac Herzog and his wife Michal will represent Israel at the state funeral of the Queen Elizabeth II, his office said on Tuesday.

The funeral, to be attended by many world leaders including U.S. President Joe Biden, is scheduled for next Sunday at Westminster Abbey in London.

On his two-day visit to the U.K., Herzog is also scheduled to take part in a reception for heads of state hosted by the new King Charles III.

Herzog announced the trip at an event in the President’s Residence in Yerushalayim marking the second anniversary of the death of former British Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks.

Meanwhile, Israel’s ambassador to the U.K. Tzipi Hotovely described the scene in London earlier this week:

“The streets in London surrounding the royal palaces are full of people who are coming to express their mourning with letters and flowers, children are bringing toys like the famous British Paddington Bear. There is a heavy stream of visitors. On Friday, when King Charles the Third first arrived at Buckingham Palace, 100 thousand people gathered on the streets. You couldn’t get there. It was a packed event, filled with flowers and goodbye letters,” Arutz Sheva quoted her as saying.

Hotovely said that every day until the funeral, the Israeli diplomatic staff will attend a different event surrounding the monarch’s death. On Monday, the staff will sign the book of condolences in the Foreign Office, later on, they will place a wreath at Buckingham palace, and after that, there will be a reception for the foreign missions. “We at the embassy see the funeral as a diplomatic event. President Biden will be there, and top leaders from Europe and all the world over will be there. All planned events with mass gatherings were canceled. We were told to cancel events. There’s a very orderly protocol for when the ‘London Bridge is Down’ plan, the death of the monarch, is put into effect,” she said.