Queen's funeral: Who from Northern Ireland will be attending?

The Queen's funeral will be held at Westminster Abbey on Monday

About 2,000 people are expected at Westminster Abbey on Monday for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

They include heads of state and heads of government from around the world as well as people from across the United Kingdom.

Among them will be representatives from politics, churches and wider society in Northern Ireland as well as dignitaries from the Republic of Ireland.

Politicians

King Charles III met some of Northern Ireland's political leaders at Hillsborough Castle

Politicians from Northern Ireland's five largest political parties have been invited and will be attending.

Sinn Féin deputy leader Michelle O'Neill, Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, Alliance Party leader Naomi Long, Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader Doug Beattie and Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) leader Colum Eastwood will be at Westminster Abbey.

Sinn Féin's Alex Maskey will also be attending in his role as Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Sinn Féin once had a policy of not meeting members of the Royal Family, but this changed when former deputy leader Martin McGuinness shook hands with the Queen in 2012 and since then there have been several meetings.

The SDLP's former leader, Mark Durkan, attended the Queen Mother's funeral in 2002.

Church leaders

Senior figures from Ireland's four largest churches will all be attending.

They are the Catholic Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin, the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh John McDowell, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church the Right Reverend John Kirkpatrick and President of the Methodist Church the Reverend David Nixon.

In a statement on Sunday Archbishop Martin reflected on the outpouring of affection and respect from across the island of Ireland since the Queen's death.

"I hope and pray that in some small ways this has helped to strengthen relationships and mutual understanding between our communities," he said.

"Queen Elizabeth herself would want this. She was a courageous peacemaker and a reconciler of difference."

Police

The heads of police forces from across the UK have been invited, with the Police Service of Northern Ireland represented by Chief Constable Simon Byrne.

There will also be two serving officers in the funeral procession.

Orders of chivalry

Lady Mary Peters laid flowers at Hillsborough Castle following the death of the Queen

The Order of the Garter is the most senior order of knighthood in the United Kingdom and is outranked in the order of precedence only by the Victoria Cross and George Cross.

One of the most recent people to be inducted into the order is Lady Mary Peters.

Lady Mary, who won Olympic gold in the pentathlon in Munich in 1972, told the BBC it was a "privilege on what will be a very moving occasion".

Another member from Northern Ireland is Viscount Brookeborough, the grandson of Northern Ireland's third prime minister.

Lord Brookeborough is also lord lieutenant of Fermanagh and was a personal lord-in-waiting to the Queen.

Both Lady Mary and Lord Brookeborough will also be at the committal service at St George's Chapel in Windsor, which is the mother chapel of the order.

Birthday honours recipients

Patricia Donnelly ran Northern Ireland's Covid-19 vaccine programme

About 200 people from across the UK who were recognised in the Queen's birthday honours this year have received an invitation to the funeral.

Among them will be Patricia Donnelly, who was made an OBE in recognition of her work at the head of the Covid-19 vaccination programme in Northern Ireland.

Another will be the Reverend Mervyn Gibson, grand secretary of the Orange Order, who was made an MBE for services to the community.

Mr Gibson, a former RUC officer and now a Presbyterian minister, said he was shocked and humbled when he received a phone call about his invitation.

"Funerals are the stock-in-trade of what I do in many ways, and I always say it's a privilege to take a funeral. But to attend the funeral for her Majesty - it's just an occasion I think will be so emotional," he said.

Brenda Herron, from Hillsborough, was made an MBE for her long involvement with Girlguiding, an organisation of which the Queen was patron.

"It's just a privilege and an absolute honour," Mrs Herron said of her invitation.

"I had massive admiration for the Queen."

Republic of Ireland

Irish President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina will both attend, along with Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin.

It will be the first time an Irish president has attended the funeral of a British monarch.

When King George VI died in 1952, the country was represented by its ambassador to the UK and its foreign minister.

On Sunday Mr Martin met Prime Minister Liz Truss at Downing Street where he is understood to have offered condolences to the British people.

According to Irish broadcaster RTÉ, the two leaders discussed British-Irish relations and agreed that an opportunity existed for the UK and EU to reach a negotiated outcome to issues around the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Funeral procession

The funeral procession from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey will include representatives of the three collective awards of the George Cross - Malta, the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and the NHS.

Four former officers from the RUC - the former police force of Northern Ireland - will take part, including chairman of the RUC George Cross Foundation Stephen White.

Prof Martin Bradley, former chief nursing officer from Northern Ireland, will be in the procession representing the health service.