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King Charles III coronation: Foreign royals and world leaders arrive at Buckingham Palace

Diplomatic cars form a procession on The Mall near to Buckingham Palace in central London.

Foreign royals, world leaders and other overseas dignitaries have gathered at Buckingham Palace tonight for a glittering reception hosted by King Charles III and Queen Camilla the night before his historic Coronation at Westminster Abbey.

Some 100 heads of state will be in London for the ceremony tomorrow, with international representatives from 203 countries due to attend.

Among the global leaders seen arriving at the palace on Friday was the First Lady of Ukraine, President Zelensky’s wife Olena Zelenska. She will represent Ukraine at the Coronation while her husband remains at home, leading efforts against Putin’s illegal invasion. She is joined by Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal.

Other European royals are enjoying the King’s reception at Buckingham Palace, including King Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco, Queen Letizia of Spain, Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark and Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway.

Queen Letizia of Spain, France’s President Emmanuel Macron, the Presidents of Germany and Italy, Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Sergio Mattarella, and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will also be among those in Westminster Abbey on Saturday.

Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng, who presided over a civil liberties crackdown in Hong Kong, is also on the King’s guest list, a move described as ‘outrageous’ by Conservative MPs.

Jill Biden is representing her husband, US President Joe Biden, along with her granddaughter Finnegan Biden, both of whom arrived for the reception alongside dozens of other world leaders.

Earlier, Charles met leaders from the Commonwealth of Nations, the voluntary associations of 56 countries which he also heads, and held a lunch for prime ministers and royal representatives from the 14 other realms where he is head of state, including Australia and Canada.