Cuban Vice President Salvador Valdés on Sunday attended the wake of Elizabeth II at the Westminster Palace to pay tribute to the British monarch, who died on September 8 at age 96.

London.- Valdés, who is heading the Cuban delegation that will attend the queen’s funeral, also signed the book of condolence opened by the British Foreign Ministry at Lancaster House, a diplomatic source told Prensa Latina.

The Cuban vice president will also attend the reception that the new King Charles III will host on Sunday for foreign heads of State and dignitaries invited to his mother’s funeral, slated for Monday at the Westminster Abbey.

The Cuban delegation is made up of the Cuban Ambassador to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Barbara Montalvo, and the Director of the Europe and Canada Department at the Cuban Foreign Ministry, Gisela García.

After Elizabeth II’s death, President Miguel Diaz-Canel extended his condolences to the heir to the crown and new monarch, the royal family, and the British people and government.

Moreover, the Cuban president decreed an official day of mourning, and Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero signed the book of condolence opened at the residence of the British ambassador in Havana.

The United Kingdom and Cuba established diplomatic relations 120 years ago, and the current British monarch visited Cuba in March 2019, with his wife Camilla, who is now queen consort. (PL)