Back together: King Felipe VI, his wife and parents will attend Queen Elizabeth II's funeral

ALL SPAIN'S Kings and Queens will be attending the funeral of Her Majesty Elizabeth II in London on September 19 – the first time the current and previous reigning monarchs will have been seen in public together in over two years.

King Felipe VI was expected to be going to the State funeral for the world's second-longest-reigning monarch as Spain's Royal representation in any case, and in cases such as this, would typically be accompanied by his wife, Queen Letizia, unless other engagements clashed with it in her agenda.

But the passing of Elizabeth II at age 96 on September 8 is a very different scenario: This time, it is not just about representation, but about mourning a person the entire Spanish Royal family was very close to and who is one of their relatives.

Both King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia had intended to go in any case if they were invited as a couple – which was expected – but the invitation from the UK Foreign Office has also been extended to Felipe VI's father, King Juan Carlos I, and mother, Queen Sofía.

Since the Rex Emeritus has been living in the United Arab Emirates – where he moved in August 2020 – he has not taken part in any official engagements for the Spanish Crown, and has only, in fact, briefly visited Spain once, earlier this year, where he met for lunch with his son.

As this was a private date, no photos were taken, and Juan Carlos I did not meet up with Queen Sofía, who was in the USA on one of her endless charity representation engagements.

It was not clear at first whether Juan Carlos I would be at Elizabeth II's funeral – a public holiday in the UK, as announced by her son, King Charles III – since he considered his son ought to be there instead in his capacity as head of State.

But Juan Carlos I, Queen Sofía, Queen Elizabeth II and her late husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, are all third cousins – in the case of the Duke of Edinburgh and Queen Sofía, second cousins.

Felipe VI and Letizia were on first-name terms with the late British Royals, and even called them 'auntie' and 'uncle'.

Queen Sofía paid a characteristically-discreet tribute to her father's cousin, Prince Philip, upon his death in April 2021, by wearing a poppy pinned to jacket – the exact same as those sold in the UK in the run-up to November 11, Armistice Day, in homage to those who perished in the two World Wars.

Following Elizabeth II's passing at around 16.30 UK time (17.30 in Spain and 16.30 in the Canary Islands) on Thursday, September 8 at her summer residence, Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, the monarch of 70 years' standing has been gradually making her way back to London in accordance with State funeral protocol.

The coffin began a six-day road journey via the Scottish towns of Ballater, Aberdeen and Dundee to Edinburgh, with a procession along the latter's Royal Mile as far as St Giles Cathedral on Monday.

She was due to be taken by plane from Edinburgh airport on Tuesday evening to the base at RAF Northolt, west of London, accompanied by her daughter, Princess Anne, before making the journey by road to Buckingham Palace.

Wednesday will see the Queen taken by the Royal Artillery to Westminster Palace, where she will lie in State for four days at Westminster Hall.

It is expected that hundreds of thousands, or even millions of mourners will travel to Westminster to pay their respects during that time.

The funeral will be at Westminster Abbey on Monday, September 19, at 11.00 UK time, and the Queen will be buried at the King George VI Commemorative Chapel.

Here, she will be joined in the afterlife by her parents, King George VI, the Queen Mother Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, and her sister Princess Margaret, who are buried there.

Prince Philip is not – he lies in the Royal Vault – but it is expected that his will be exhumed and moved to the same site eventually, so he and his beloved wife can be reunited at last.