It will be the first funeral service at Westminster Abbey for a British monarch since King George II’s in 1760. The Abbey was the backdrop for most of the Queen’s astonishing life, from her marriage to the Duke of Edinburgh to her coronation.
Since the reign of George III, monarchs and queens have been buried at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor.
However, in a departure from tradition, Her Majesty, who died at Balmoral on Thursday at the age of 96 after many months of health concerns, determined that her funeral should take place in the considerably larger Westminster Abbey.
For the funeral, Scotland Yard has been tasked with organizing the most extensive security setup in British history.
After spending the night at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen will spend 24 hours in state at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh. On Tuesday, her coffin will be flown to London, accompanied by the Princess Royal, and then driven to Buckingham Palace. Wednesday afternoon at Westminster Hall in London, the lying in state of the Queen is expected to commence.
Then, on Monday morning, the coffin will be conveyed from the Houses of Parliament on the state gun carriage to the neighboring Abbey. Hundreds of thousands of mourners will line the streets to pay their respects to the late king as King Charles III and other senior members of the Royal Family as well as the military accompany the coffin.
Before the coffin is solemnly carried to Wellington Arch at 1pm via Whitehall, The Mall, and past Buckingham Palace, approximately 2,000 guests, including Prime Minister Liz Truss and US President Joe Biden, will attend an hour-long televised service in Westminster Abbey, which is expected to be one of the most watched live events ever.
The coffin will subsequently be transported to Windsor, where the Queen will be interred alongside her husband Prince Philip at St. George’s Chapel.
Early in June, Her Majesty stands on the Buckingham Palace balcony on the last day of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Last vigil at the Queen’s coffin in Westminster Hall, 6am-8:30am
The King’s bodyguards will begin their final vigil by the Queen’s oak coffin in the Houses of Parliament at dawn on the final day of national mourning. Then, at 8.30 am, it will close in preparation for the procession.
9am: Big Ben will strike
Out of respect and deference to the late monarch, Big Ben’s hammer will be covered with a thick leather pad to mute its strikes for the remainder of the day.
Queen’s coffin is brought from the House of Parliament to Westminster Abbey at 10.30 a.m.
The coffin of the Queen will be transferred to the state gun carriage, which will be positioned outside the north entrance of Westminster Hall.
From there, it will be hauled to Westminster Abbey by navy ratings using ropes instead of horses.
As with the funerals of Princess Diana and Prince Philip, enormous numbers of mourners are expected to line the streets of Westminster as King Charles and senior members of the Royal Family follow the casket. Additionally, the military will join the march.
The Queen’s coffin is taken to the High Altar at 11 a.m.
Before the nation falls silent, approximately 2,000 guests, including members of the Royal Family, Prime Minister Liz Truss, former British premiers, foreign dignitaries including US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and possibly Japanese Emperor Naruhito, and other VIPs will fill the Abbey and watch as the Queen’s coffin is moved down the nave to the High Altar.
Dean of Westminster and Archbishop of Canterbury will preside over the state funeral at Westminster Abbey (shown).
11 a.m. to 12 p.m.: state funeral in the Abbey
Dean of Westminster and Archbishop of Canterbury will preside over the state funeral.
It is being televised and is expected to be shown to millions of people around the globe; it could be one of the most watched live events in human history.
Royal experts say that the choice of the Abbey could be due to the fact that it is so large – it has a capacity of 2,000, but can hold up to 8,000 – as well as the fact that many live television broadcasts have already been held there.
It is also considered that due to its location in Central London, it could be a better venue for big crowds to assemble to pay their respects.
And the Abbey was the site of several of the most significant events in the Queen’s life, including her coronation and marriage to Prince Philip. Princess Royal and the Duke of York, as well as Princess Margaret, sister of the Queen, were also married there.
Other royal funerals, including Princess Diana’s in 1997 and the Queen Mother’s in 2002, have been held at the Abbey.
In 1979, the funeral of Philip’s uncle, Earl Mountbatten of Burma, was also held there.
The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey
The Queen is captured smiling on June 2, 1953, following her coronation at Westminster Abbey in London.
12 noon: Last Post
At the conclusion of the ceremony, the Last Post and Reveille will be performed.
12pm-1pm: The Queen’s coffin is transported via The Mall to Wellington Arch
The Queen’s coffin will then be returned to the state gun carriage before the royal funeral procession moves solemnly through Parliament Square, Whitehall, Constitution Hill, and The Mall, past Buckingham Palace, to Wellington Arch at 1 p.m.
1pm to 4pm: Transportation of the coffin to Windsor
The coffin will then be brought through the Long Walk to St George’s Chapel in Windsor, where the Queen spent the most of her final years, where she will be laid to life.
The Queen’s coffin will be lowered into the Royal Vault at St George’s Chapel in Windsor (shown), where she will be laid to rest alongside her husband the Duke of Edinburgh, her cherished parents, and her sister Princess Margaret.
Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh on their wedding day in 1947, taken in an official wedding image.
Prince Philip will bury the Queen in St. George’s Chapel at 4 p.m.
The committal service conducted by the Dean of Windsor will then commence and will be broadcast globally via television.
Before the final hymn, the crown jewelers will remove the Imperial State Crown, sceptre, and orb from the Queen’s coffin.
At the conclusion of the funeral, a lone piper will play a lament as the coffin is lowered into the Royal Vault, where she will be interred alongside her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, her cherished parents, and her sister Margaret.
King Charles will attend a private family funeral service at the chapel at 7 o’clock.
King Charles and his immediate family will return to the church for a private family burial ritual, during which the monarch will spread earth over the coffin, as the late Queen did for her father.