Her Majesty’s burial service will take place at Westminster Abbey today before she and Prince Philip are laid to rest in St. George’s Chapel in Windsor.
London is anticipated to be completely packed with mourners as they watch the processions throughout the day.
Numerous dignitaries from across the world, including US President Joe Biden, who attended a luncheon hosted by King Charles last night at Buckingham Palace, will be in attendance.
The Queen’s coffin will first be brought in a procession to Westminster Abbey, where it has been passed by countless mourners over the last week, before the State Funeral, which begins at 11 am.
A bearer party made up of members of The Queen’s Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, will take the coffin out of the catafalque in Westminster Hall and carry it to the North Door.
The Queen has been lying in state at Westminster Hall, where her grandchildren and children had separate vigils on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
The coffin will subsequently be transported by the State Gun Carriage, which has been in the custody of the Royal Navy ever since it was taken out of service in 1901 for Queen Victoria’s funeral.
Since then, the carriage has served as the location for the burial of many monarchs, including King Edward VII in 1910, King George V in 1936, King George VI in 1952, Sir Winston Churchill in 1965, and Lord Mountbatten in 1979.
The 142 Royal Navy ratings will brilliantly pull the gun carriage as it departs at 10.44 a.m.
Every hour of the day has been meticulously planned out for what may be the biggest global event in decades.
A procession bearing the coffin will leave New Palace Yard and go to Westminster Abbey under the direction of the Brigade of Gurkhas, the RAF, and the gathered pipes and drums of the Scottish and Irish Regiments.
The mourners of the royal family will intently monitor the Queen’s burial procession. Included in this are the King, his siblings, the Duke of York, the Princess Royal, and the Earl of Wessex.
The Prince of Wales, the Duke of Sussex, and Peter Phillips will be sitting behind them. They are three of the Queen’s grandchildren.
The Duke of Gloucester, the Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the spouse of Princess Anne, and the Earl of Swindon will then depart.
The funeral procession is anticipated to arrive at Westminster Abbey’s West Gate at 10:52 am when the ceremony is set to begin.
The funeral service itself will start at 11 a.m. and be conducted by David Hoyle, the Dean of Westminster. Along with a variety of readings, prayers, and hymns, the Commendation will be delivered by the Archbishop of Canterbury, who will also give a sermon.
At 11.55 a.m., the Last Post will sound, followed by two minutes of silence. At 12 o’clock, the National Anthem will be performed, after which the Queen’s piper will play a lament to signal the end of the State funeral.
The bearer party, accompanied by the King and Queen Consort, will move the coffin back to the gun carriage for the procession to Wellington Arch.
Princess Royal and her partner will be in front, followed by the King and Queen Consort. They will be followed by the Duke of York and the Wessex.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte, the children of the Prince and Princess of Wales, have made a last-minute decision to attend their great-funeral grandmother’s and participate in the Bearer Party. They will be supported by the Prince and Princess of Wales.
They will face Peter Phillips, the Earl of Swindon, and Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. The Duke of Gloucester, Prince Michael of Kent, and the Duke of Kent will stand behind the coffin.
King Charles and the Royal family will follow the coffin when the procession, which many spectators will have never seen before, begins at 12.15 p.m.
The Princess of Wales, the Duchess of Sussex, and the Countess of Wessex will follow the Queen Consort in a car.
Even though Big Ben’s clock tower is the focus of an urgent investigation after it did not chime during yesterday night’s national moment of quiet, shots will be fired every minute in Hyde Park and will be heard throughout the procession.
Hundreds of thousands of mourners are expected to line the 1.7-mile route that goes through The Mall and Buckingham Palace before arriving at Wellington Arch at 1 pm.
The National Anthem will begin to play as the casket is driven to Windsor in the State Hearse.
The funeral will be broadcast on BBC, ITV, and Sky throughout the day, as well as on screens throughout Hyde Park.
At 3:06 pm, when the procession passes past the masses of mourners gathered along The Long Walk to Windsor Castle in Windsor, the State Hearse will join it.
Mourners have already been seen carrying bags in an attempt to set up camp early along the burial route.
King Charles and the other royals are expected to follow the coffin straight at about 3.40 p.m. The procession will come to an end at the base of the West Steps of St. George’s Chapel at 3.53 p.m.
The Princess of Wales, the Duchess of Sussex, and the Countess of Wessex will accompany the Queen Consort in the rear seat once again.
At this point, the Bearer Party will take the coffin from the State Hearse and carry it up the West Steps. The coffin will be greeted by a guard of honour.
A televised Committal Service will be presided over by the Dean of Windsor and begin at four o’clock.
Before the last song, the Sceptre, Orb, and Imperial State Crown will be removed from the coffin.
The coffin will be lowered into the Royal Vault after the Archbishop of Canterbury offers his last blessing and the song “God Save the King” has been sung.
There will be a private funeral for the members of the Royal Family at 7:30 p.m. that won’t be shown on television.
Her Majesty and Prince Philip will both be buried in the King George VI Memorial Chapel.