As thousands of people queued for as long as an entire day to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, London reportedly invited a representative from North Korea to attend the funeral itself.

Two diplomatic sources confirmed to NK News that North Korea’s ambassador to the U.K. did end up attending the funeral. But this shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Despite its fierce criticism of the DPRK’s nuclear program and rights abuses, the U.K. has maintained diplomatic relations with North Korea since Dec. 12, 2000. North Korea has an embassy in London and the U.K. in Pyongyang, though