Carlos III receives 500 heads of state and foreign dignitaries before the funeral of Elizabeth II

• United Kingdom The "blasphemy" of not inviting Russia to the funeral of Elizabeth II and the wink of the United Kingdom to Taiwan

Carlos III opens wide the doors of Buckingham to the 500 heads of state and foreign dignitaries (including King Felipe and Queen Letizia) who will attend Elizabeth II's funeral tomorrow at Westminster Abbey.

The diplomatic baptism of fire of the new king has been marked by political gestures that can define a more active reign, far from the proverbial neutrality that characterized his mother in her 70 years as monarch.

Neither Russia nor Belarus (nor Burma, Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, Venezuela or Nicaragua) have been invited to join the funeral honors.

Volodimir Zelenski's wife, Olena Zelenska, will lead the Ukrainian delegation on her behalf, in a very direct message from the new monarch on the UK's position on the war.

Carlos last April expressed his "shock at the images of war on our continent" during a speech at an RAF graduation ceremony in April.

The then Prince of Wales highlighted "the value of alliances" and highlighted how "having highly motivated and well-prepared people is critical to the success of operations" (an implicit reference to NATO and the Ukrainian military's response).

The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zajarova, condemned as "deeply immoral" the decision of the British Royal House to use the tragedy "to settle accounts with our country in a few days of mourning."

Vladimir Putin, who sent a telegram of condolences, had already announced just in case that he "had no plans" to participate in the funeral.

The other aggrieved by the diplomacy of the funeral, to a lesser extent, has been Xi Jinping.

Although China has been formally invited to the funeral and has sent Vice President Wang Qishan as a "special representative".

His presence has raised blisters among a group of nine conservative deputies vetoed by Beijing for condemning its repression against the Uyghur minority in Xinjiang.

The sanctions against the seven parliamentarians and two British lords - whose assets have been frozen by Beijing - have, however, had consequences for a Chinese government delegation that has been denied entry to the funeral chapel in Westminster.

As a counterpoint, Taiwan's de facto ambassador to London, Kelly Hsieh, was formally invited to sign the Lancaster House condolence book and is receiving the same treatment as any other foreign dignitary, in a grateful gesture by Taipei as a sign." of the cherished friendship between the two peoples".

The controversy has persecuted the new king until the last moment for extending the invitation to the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohamed bin Salman, despite his alleged connections to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. Finally, he will not attend and will do so instead Prince Turki al-Faisal, another senior Saudi royal, the BBC reported today citing a Foreign Ministry source.

Bin Salman maintained a relationship with Elizabeth II, whom he praised after her death as "an example of leadership that will be immortalized by history."

Carlos officially traveled to Saudi Arabia up to 12 times as Prince of Wales and strengthened economic and political ties with Riyadh (a Saudi businessman, Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz, was in fact the star of the first "money for titles" scandal).

Meeting with Biden and Macron

The new king met again on Saturday with his prime minister, Liz Truss, who saw his bilateral meeting with Joe Biden suspended at the last minute by decision of the US president (the appointment was postponed until Wednesday in New York, during the General Assembly from the ONU).

Charles III shook hands with Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron for the first time as king, whose relations with the British government have been very tense since Brexit.

Biden dedicated some emotional words to Elizabeth II at the time of signing the book of condolences.

"The Queen defined an era with her dignity and her way of playing her part," Biden said.

"When she looked at you she conveyed that real interest in knowing how you are and reminding you at the same time: 'Do what you have to do'".

A day before the reception for the world leaders in Buckingham, Carlos III privately convened, one by one, the representatives of the Commonwealth of Nations, in an attempt to give a boost to the ailing organization of 56 members and before the 'republican' spark that threatens to spread in some of the 14 countries that recognized Elizabeth II as head of state.

The Australian 'premier', Anthony Albanese;

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau;

and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern were the first to despatch with the new king.

," anticipated Ardern, who clarified that her country does not currently have the intention of breaking ties with the British monarchy.

Joe and Jill Biden sign the condolence book at Lancaster House.AP

In Australia, the coming to power of the Labor Albanese has however caused a resurgence of republican sentiment.

Carlos, who studied in Australia as a child and visited it 16 times as Prince of Wales (including the 1983 tour in which Diana stole all the limelight) has announced his intention to visit the country as soon as possible with Camilla, even anticipating the trip. and budding of William and Kate, who will assume the role of "ambassadors" of the Commonwealth in the new distribution of functions.

During the 10 days he has been king, Charles has shown signs of a greater closeness to the British than that exhibited in his time as Prince of Wales, such as the spontaneous greeting -accompanied by William- to the British queuing up to say goodbye to the Elizabeth II's coffin in Westminster Hall.

His debut before world leaders on Sunday served as an indication of the monarchy's renewed role as a diplomatic asset for the United Kingdom, in contrast to the withdrawal of Elizabeth II, who suspended her trips abroad in her last years and delegated precisely that role to her inheritor.

Several foreign delegations have meanwhile expressed their discomfort at the demands of the funeral protocol

, which forces the vast majority of the 2,000 invited to Westminster Abbey to travel by buses that will leave punctually from the Royal Hospital Chelsea.

The kings Felipe and Letizia, as well as the Japanese emperor Naruhito and the empress Masako and

.

As revealed by the

portal , at least five members of the G-7 have requested "exceptions" such as that of Joe Biden, who will, however, travel with his armored car, nicknamed the

.

Other leaders, such as Israeli President Isaac Herzog, will also be allowed to use their own transportation for security reasons.

Other delegations have asked to take advantage of "exceptions" alleging the state of health or the advanced age of the dignitaries.

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