The Queen’s state funeral, set to take place on Monday, September 19, is a meticulously planned event that will see thousands attend and even more line the streets to pay their respects.
The funeral will also be broadcast across the globe as the world mourns the loss of Britain’s longest-serving monarch.
The funeral service begins at 11am, but preparations will begin much earlier.
Here is a step-by-step plan of what will happen on the day of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.
What will happen on the day of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral?
Lying in state will continue until 6.30am. The Queen has been lying in state for “four clear days” in Westminster Hall.
The coffin will be taken in a grand military procession from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey for the state funeral at 11am.
Senior members of the Royal family are expected to follow behind – just like they did for the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh.
The military will line the streets and also join the procession.
Heads of state, prime ministers and presidents, European royals and key figures from public life will be invited to gather in the Abbey, which can hold a congregation of 2,000.
The service will begin at 11am and will be televised.
A national two-minute silence will follow the Last Post being sounded at 11.55am.
Reveille, the national anthem and a lament, played by the Queen’s Piper, will bring the state funeral service to an end at approximately 12pm.
What will happen after the Queen’s funeral service?
After the service, the coffin will be taken in procession from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch and then travel to Windsor.
Once in Windsor, the hearse will then travel in a procession to St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle via the Long Walk.
Following this, a televised committal service will take place in St George’s Chapel at 4pm.
At 7pm, there will be a private interment service with senior members of the royal family.
The Queen’s final resting place will be the King George VI memorial chapel, an annex to the main chapel – where her mother and father were buried, along with the ashes of her sister, Princess Margaret.
Prince Philip’s coffin will move from the Royal Vault to the memorial chapel to join the Queen’s.
Queen’s funeral will “unite people across the globe”
The state funeral will “unite people across the globe and resonate with people of all faiths” and pay a “fitting tribute to an extraordinary reign”, the man in charge of the historic occasion has said.
The Earl Marshal, the Duke of Norfolk, described the task as “both humbling and daunting. An honour and a great responsibility”.
Two thousand people including world leaders and foreign royals will gather inside Westminster Abbey in London on Monday for the final farewell to the nation’s longest reigning monarch.
What to expect from the Queen's funeral?
Will the Queen’s funeral be televised?
Yes, the Queen’s funeral will be broadcast live on BBC One, BBC News, and be available on BBC iPlayer.
BBC coverage will begin at 8am.
It will also be shown on Sky News and can be watched on its website and YouTube Channels.
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