Rt. Hon Dr Denzil Douglas among world dignitaries at Queen’s funeral
ST. KITTS AND NEVIS FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER, RT. HON DR. DENZIL DOUGLAS, was among several regional and world heads and other dignitaries that attended Queen Elizabeth 11 funeral service in London on Monday.
Douglas, as a member of the Privy Council since 2014, has earned the title the Right Honourable, and as such, helped organise the royal funeral of Elizabeth who reigned for 70 years.
Other Caribbean Heads of State at the Queen’s funeral were: Philip Davis, Prime Minister of The Bahamas; Andrew Holness, Jamaica’s Prime Minister and Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda.
Douglas represented recently-elected St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister, Dr. Terrance Drew at Monday’s funeral.
The Rt. Honourable Dr. Douglas expressed condolences, on behalf of Prime Minister Dr. Drew to HM King Charles III, the Earl of Wessex, the late Queen’s youngest son, and the Rt. Hon. Liz Truss, recently-appointed UK Prime Minister.
He was on hand at the State Funeral at Westminster Abbey and then the Committal Service at St. Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle where the late Queen will be interred.
The Foreign Minister’s first engagement was the King’s Reception at Buckingham Palace, hosted by Charles 111 for the foreign dignitaries there to pay their respects to the late Monarch. The late Queen was a well-regarded and globally-respected figure renowned for her diplomatic skills, unparalleled service to her country and the Commonwealth, as well as her quiet moral leadership and devotion to duty.
During a lunch with fellow Commonwealth dignitaries at Windsor Castle, the Rt. Honourable Dr. Douglas also raised a toast to celebrate his country’s 39th independence anniversary.
Commonwealth Secretary-General Baroness Patricia Scotland KC, read the First Lesson at the State Funeral Service. in brief remarks noted how the two ceremonies eulogized the late Queen’s life of service to the Commonwealth and the members of the Realm.
Dr. Doulas who was PM of the Caribbean and Caricom twin-island Federation from 1995- 2015, has been recognised regionally and internationally for the significant economic growth and development under his stewardship.
The Rt. Hon Dr. Denzil Douglas, will depart London today for New York, where he will join his PM Dr. Drew-led delegation to the UN 77th General Assembly.
