King Philippe and Queen Mathilde attend funeral of late Queen Elizabeth II in London

King Philip and Queen Mathilde of Belgium are attending Monday's state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London .

The royal couple paid their respects in front of the coffin of her late majesty, lying in state in Westminster Hall, on Sunday evening.

Belgium’s King and Queen were among the first invited guests to confirm their presence after the death of the British Queen on 8 September at the age of 96.

They are among 500 heads of state, royals and dignitaries invited to the funeral ceremony at Westminster Abbey, which will be attended by 2,000 mourners.

The Queen’s funeral is expected to become the most watched global broadcast in history with an approximate 4.1 billion people watching.

Distant cousins

King Philippe is a distant cousin of the late Queen. The monarchs shared several common ancestors, including Franz, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, who was the grandfather of Queen Victoria and the father of King Leopold I of the Belgians.

They are also related via King Christian IX of Denmark, known as the 'grandfather of Europe' due to his far-reaching family tree. Monarchies of Spain, Denmark and the Netherlands are also represented at the state funeral.

The Belgian royal couple were not accompanied by their four children. Their daughter and heir to the Belgian throne, Princess Elisabeth, signed a book of condolence to the Queen at the British residence in Brussels last week.