By Natalie Richards
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has shunned the UK’s demands for foreign heads of state to fly commercial to the Queen’s funeral.
Whitehall has issued strict guidance for dignitaries arriving in the UK to pay their respects to the monarch when she is laid to rest at Westminster Abbey on September 19.
The UK Foreign Office has asked those invited to avoid using private jets to arrive in the UK for the funeral. Organisers have blamed “tight security and road restrictions”.
Leaked documents obtained by Politico news website revealed the world’s political leaders would be banned from using their own cars and are being asked to take a bus to the event.
But the directive has been dismissed by Mr Albanese, who insists he will still be taking the Royal Australian Air Force’s VIP jet to the UK on Thursday evening.