President Droupadi Murmu left for London on Saturday to attend the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, which will be held at Westminster Abbey on September 19. Murmu will offer condolences on behalf of the Indian government.
"President Droupadi Murmu emplanes for London, United Kingdom, to attend the state funeral of H.M. Queen Elizabeth II and offer condolences on behalf of the Government of India," the Rashtrapati Bhavan tweeted.
Queen Elizabeth II, the UK's longest-serving monarch, died aged 96 at her summer residence Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had visited the British High Commission in Delhi on September 12 to convey the country's condolences. India had also observed a day of national mourning on Sunday.
“In the 70 years of reign of Queen Elizabeth II, India-UK ties have evolved, flourished and strengthened immensely,” the foreign ministry had said in a statement.
Meanwhile, thousands of people are lining up to see the queen's coffin in Westminster Hall, despite waiting times of 16 hours or more, the Associated Press reported on Saturday.
On Saturday morning, King Charles III held an audience at Buckingham Palace with the country's military chiefs, who have provided thousands of armed forces personnel to take part in the pageantry surrounding Queen Elizabeth II's funeral as well as helping line crowd-packed roads and performing other ceremonial duties.
Hundreds of troops from the British army, air force and navy have taken part in the first full rehearsal of the procession that will bring the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II to its final resting place.
