YANG di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah today departed for London to pay his last respects to Queen Elizabeth II, who died on September 8.

Al-Sultan Abdullah’s special six-day visit was by official invitation from the British government, and he was accompanied by Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah.

They departed Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 10.30am.

Prior to the departure, the Istana Negara’s religious officer Munir Md Salleh recited a prayer for a safe journey.

As part of the visit, the king and queen will attend a reception hosted by King Charles III on Sunday and the funeral on Monday at Westminster Abbey.

Al-Sultan Abdullah is also scheduled to hold meetings with several foreign heads of state while in the UK.

Queen Elizabeth’s body is now in London, where she lies in state in Westminster Hall until Monday.

She was the second longest reigning monarch in European history after King Louis XIV of France.

Queen Elizabeth visited Malaysia three times: in 1972 for a special visit, in 1989 in conjunction with the 11th Commonwealth heads of government meeting and in 1998 for the 16th Commonwealth Games.

The king and queen had lunch with Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace in December 2019, when they went to the UK for an official visit.

Al-Sultan Abdullah has been friends with King Charles for more than four decades. They played polo together as teenagers at various levels of international tournaments.

The king previously ordered that the Pahang flag be flown at half-mast for three consecutive days from Saturday last week, as a mark of respect. – Bernama, September 16, 2022.