What’s Next: A Guide To The Next Few Days Leading Up To The Queen’s Funeral
We take a look at the next week of events leading up to Her Majesty The Queen’s state funeral. Here’s everything you need to know…
The death of the Queen has meant that the U.K. has 10 days of official mourning – a period ending in the monarch’s state funeral on Monday 19th September.
The state funeral is the biggest event that will take place following the Queen’s death, with heads of state and representatives travelling from all over the world, and the UK will have a Bank Holiday to mark the occasion. There’s no obligation for events to be cancelled in the interim, but some, like the Last Night of the Proms, have been.
There are many events that will take place before the funeral, and this guide will help explain what they are and how you can take part.
Tuesday 13th September
The Queen’s coffin spends its last day in Scotland, moves from St Giles’ Cathedral at 17:00 to Edinburgh airport, on its way to RAF Northolt, accompanied by Princess Anne. It will arrive in London at around 19:00, and then move to Buckingham Palace, where Charles and Camilla will await it.
Wednesday 14th September
The Queen’s coffin is set to move from Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, arriving at Westminster Hall. This is where the Queen will lie in state for four days, where the public will be able to view the coffin and pay their respects. There will be a short service before 17:00 attended by the King, members of the Royal Family and the Archbishop of Canterbury. Following this, the coffin will be able to be viewed by the public. There will be long queues, with some suggestions of up to 12 hour waits, so be prepared if you wish to visit- it’s also likely you won’t be able to sit down much if at all. During the lying in state period, the hall will be open to the public 24 hours a day until 6:3o on Monday 19th September.
Thursday 15th September
The first full day of the lying in state period.
Friday 16th September
The second full day of the lying in state period.
The King, accompanied by Camilla, will travel to Wales as part of his tour of the four nations of the United Kingdom as the new King.
Saturday 17th September
The third full day of the lying in state period.
Sunday 18th September
The fourth and final full day of the lying in state period.
At 20:00 on Sunday evening, a nationwide one minute silence in memory of the Queen will be held, one the eve of her funeral. There’ll be memorial events across the UK, as well as vigils.
Monday 19th September
The end of the lying in state at 6:30 AM, and the beginning of the procession to Westminster Abbey, where the state funeral of the Queen will take place at 11am. It’ll be broadcast on BBC One, BBC News and iPlayer, as well as the major news channels like Sky.
The day is also a Bank Holiday in the UK to mark the occasion. The King and the Royal Family will be present, as well as the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition. Many other UK politicians, as well as past Prime Ministers, are expected to attend. There will also be heads of state and other representatives from across the globe coming to pay their respects, with US President Joe Biden being the most high profile.
Once the funeral is over, the coffin will then travel in procession from the Abbey to Wellington Arch, and from there to Windsor. A committal service will take place at St George’s Chapel in Windsor. This is where the Queen will be laid to rest.
