BREAKING NEWS

UK invites North Korea to send envoy to Queen's funeral - source

Britain is inviting a representative from North Korea to attend Queen Elizabeth's funeral on Monday, but Afghanistan, Syria and Venezuela will not be given an invite, a foreign office source said on Wednesday.

The invitation for North Korea would be at an ambassadorial level, the source said.

Queen Elizabeth's funeral will take place in London on Sept. 19, and a host of world leaders, royalty and other dignitaries have already said they will attend.

Syria and Venezuela would not be invited because Britain does not currently have diplomatic relations with those states. Afghanistan was not invited due to the current political situation, the source said.

They join Russia, Myanmar and Belarus in not being asked to attend.