What time is The Queen’s funeral?
BRITAIN’S longest-reigning monarch will be laid to rest at a ceremony at Westminster Abbey.
Queen Elizabeth II is receiving a state funeral today, Monday, September 19 – here’s everything you need to know about the day of National Mourning.
When is the Queen’s funeral?
The state funeral of the Queen is taking place on Monday, September 19 at Westminster Abbey, a church dedicated to many important royal events.
The service begins at 11am, with TV coverage beginning hours before.
What will happen during the Queen’s funeral?
The Queen’s funeral will start with a procession, taking her coffin from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey, where the service will begin.
The coffin will be moved at 10.44am and will be carried on a gun carriage, drawn by sailors from the Royal Navy in a military procession.
This tradition started with Queen Victoria in 1901, as part of the strict instructions the monarch had left for her funeral.
King Charles III and his siblings Princess Anne, Duke of York and Earl of Wessex will march behind the coffin.
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The coffin will arrive at the Abbey at 10.52am and will be carried by the pallbearers.
The service will begin at 11am and be conducted by the Dean of Westminster.
At 11.55am The Last Post will be played.
The Queen will then be given a 21-gun salute, and two minutes of silence across the nation.
After, another procession will allow people in London to say goodbye to the Queen one last time before she is taken back to Windsor.
A committal service will be held in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, and the Queen will be buried in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, next to her father King George VI, mother Queen Elizabeth, and sister Princess Margaret.
Prince Philip, the Queen’s late husband, will also be moved to the Memorial Chapel from the Royal Vault beneath St George’s Chapel, to rest alongside his beloved wife of 73 years.
Who is attending the Queen’s funeral?
The service at Westminster Abbey is attended by the Royal Family, politicians, and heads of state from across the globe.
Over 500 dignitaries from around the world have travelled to London to pay their respects to the Queen, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch.
Many of the world leaders who met the Queen during her long reign will be there.
They are joined by members of the Royal Family and former and present prime ministers.
Liz Truss, who met the Queen when she formally asked her to form a government just days before her death, is in attendance, as well as the Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.
The First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon is attending along with the Irish prime minister Micheal Martin and President Michael Higgins.
US President Joe Biden has also arrived at Westminster Abbey with his wife First Lady Jill.
European leaders such as the French President Emmanuel Macron, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Italian President Sergio Mattarella are also in attendance.
As has the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
Other world leaders who are confirmed include Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Australia’s Governor-General David Hurley, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol, and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
Some of the Queen’s closest staff members such as her ladies-in-waiting and footmen will also be there to pay their respects and say their final goodbyes.
Invites have not been sent to Russia, Belarus, Myanmar, Syria, Venezuela or Afghanistan – this comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to the King on the news of the Queen’s death.
Can I go to the Queen’s funeral?
Members of the public are not permitted to go to the funeral – only invited guests can go.
The public can watch the funeral procession online or on television.
They can watch in person at ceremonial viewing areas along the route of the coffin.
How can I watch the Queen’s funeral?
Millions of people are watching the funeral as it is televised around the world.
Coverage started a few hours before the ceremony and is expected to last through the night.
The full day’s schedule has been announced, showing on BBC One, BBC News and is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
Sky News have announced their full schedule for coverage of the funeral of the Queen, which will be available for free on Sky News and the Sky News App, YouTube and on Freeview.
In the US, the service will air on NBC New Now, CNN, ABC, Fox News and other major news outlets.
US viewers should tune in at 3am PT or 6am ET.
When was the last state funeral?
It’s been almost 60 years since the last state funeral in the UK in 1965.
Sir Winston Churchill was one of three prime ministers in British history to receive a state funeral – the others were Arthur Wellesley, the First Duke of Wellington, and William Gladstone.
At the time, Parliament and the Queen had to agree for the funeral to go ahead.
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Queen Elizabeth II felt that the entire nation should “have the opportunity to express their sorrow” over the wartime leader’s death, and described him as “the inspiring leader who strengthened and supported us all”.
Churchill was the first non-royal to be granted a state funeral in the whole of the 20th century, and the ceremony was broadcast by the BBC for over four hours.