Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, met with the Princess of Wales ahead of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.
Ms. Zelenska arrived at Buckingham Palace shortly after visiting Westminster Hall to see the Queen lying in state.
World leaders and dignitaries have been arriving in London ahead of the late monarch’s funeral on Monday.
US Vice President Joe Biden witnessed the lying in state and stated that Queen Elizabeth has made the “world a better place.”
People have been queuing for hours to see the coffin of the Queen, who is lying in state until Monday morning.
Ms. Zelenska’s trip to the UK follows her husband, President Volodymyr Zelensky, signing a book of condolences for the Queen at the British embassy in Kyiv.
Melinda Simmons, the UK’s ambassador in Kyiv, said she was “deeply honored” by the president’s gesture “given everything else that is going on in [Ukraine] at the moment.”
Ms. Zelenska previously met Catherine and Prince William during her husband’s official visit to the UK in 2020.
As President Biden and his wife Jill drove through the gates into the Houses of Parliament to see the Queen lying in state, large crowds applauded.
President Biden stated that Britons “were fortunate to have had her for 70 years – we were all fortunate.”
He also signed a book of condolences at Lancaster House with other world leaders.
Leaders from across the Commonwealth will attend the funeral, including Canada’s Justin Trudeau, New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern, and Australia’s Anthony Albanese, of which the Queen was the head for the entirety of her reign.
Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin and President Michael Higgins, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Italian President Sergio Mattarella, and French President Emmanuel Macron are among those who have accepted invitations to the funeral.
