London, UK
Reuters
The funeral of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, who died on Thursday aged 96, will take place on 19th September and her body will lie in state for four days prior to that, royal officials announced on Saturday.
Here are details about events in the run-up to the funeral as provided so far by Buckingham Palace and other royal officials.
Sunday
The Queen’s oak coffin, which was placed in the Ballroom of Balmoral Castle in Scotland following her death, will be taken by car on a six-hour journey to Edinburgh. It will leave at 10am (0900 GMT) and arrive at 4pm (1500 GMT), and be taken to the Palace of Holyroodhouse where it will be met by a military bearer party and then taken to the throne room.
Cards and flowers are laid out, following the passing of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, in Balmoral, Scotland, Britain, on 10th September. PICTURE: Reuters/Russell Cheyne.
Monday
King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, will travel to Edinburgh from London. At 2:35pm (1335 GMT) the coffin will be taken in a procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles’ Cathedral on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile with the King and royal family members following on foot. The Crown of Scotland will be placed onto the coffin as it is carried inside for a short service. The king and other royals will hold a vigil at 7:20pm (1820 GMT) and the coffin will remain there for about 24 hours.
Tuesday
At 5pm (1600 GMT) there will be short prayers at St Giles’ before the coffin is taken to Edinburgh Airport to be flown to London, accompanied by Elizabeth’s daughter Anne, arriving at 8pm (1900 GMT). It will be taken by state hearse to Buckingham Palace and placed in the Bow Room.
Wednesday
At 2:22pm (1322 GMT), the coffin will be placed on a gun carriage and taken to the Palace of Westminster. The King and other members of the royal family will walk in silence behind. During the procession, minute guns will be fired at Hyde Park and Westminster’s famous Big Ben bell will toll. It will arrive at Westminster Hall at 3pm (1400 GMT) and be placed on a catafalque with a short service, conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The body will lie in state for four days until the day of the funeral.
Monday, 19th September
At 10:44am (0944 GMT), the coffin will be taken in a procession from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey for the state funeral. After the funeral, the coffin will be taken in a procession to Wellington Arch and then to Windsor Castle, about 32 kilometres west of London. Windsor is the oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world and has been the family home of kings and queens for almost 1,000 years. The hearse will travel via the Long Walk to St George’s Chapel for a committal service. There it is expected to be lowered into the royal vault and interred in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, in the North Nave Aisle where the queen’s parents and sister are buried. The coffin of Prince Philip, the Queen’s husband of 73 years who died in April, 2021, is expected to be moved from the royal vault at Windsor to be buried alongside his wife.
