LONDON (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Today in London is Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, following ten days of declared mourning. Early this morning, the Queen’s lying in state came to an end, ending a line that had been forming for days and had grown as far as 5 miles (8 km), winding along the Thames. Just before 6:30 a.m., the final mourners exited Westminster Hall. The doors to Westminster Abbey will open at 8 a.m. for the mourners’ group. The coffin will then be taken from Westminster Hall by the gun carriage around 10.30 am.
The late Queen Elizabeth II will receive the first state funeral since Winston Churchill’s in 1965 on Monday, a holiday. A schedule of what will occur at significant times during the day is provided below.
6.30 a.m. (all times are BST) : The Queen’s lying in state will end
The public has been able to visit the Queen’s closed casket at Westminster Hall since last Wednesday. The Queen’s lying in state ended early on Monday morning. The line-up for those wishing to pay their respects is thought to be 300,000, with a wait period of up to 17 hours.
Westminster Abbey will open at 8 a.m for the congregation
The congregation attending the Queen’s funeral was welcomed into the abbey. Royal families of Europe and world leaders will attend the funeral, which will be one of the biggest gatherings of heads of state and royalty the UK has held in decades.
The King’s Guard entered the gates of the building as it was about to open, with two soldiers waiting at the metal gates for the ceremonies to begin.
10.30 am – A gun carriage will carry the Queen’s casket to the Abbey
142 Royal Navy sailors will tow the coffin on the state funeral gun carriage to the Abbey from Westminster Hall. The custom began at Queen Victoria’s funeral in 1901.
10.44am – The coffin will be followed by the royal family into the Abbey
King Charles III will be escorted by members of the royal family and the royal household as the casket goes from Westminster Hall to the Abbey.
The procession will reach Westminster Abbey at 10.52 a.m
The bearer party, which is made up of members of the Queen’s guard, will carry the coffin from the gun carriage into the funeral service after the procession reaches the Abbey’s west gate.
The service will start at 11 a.m
The dean of Westminster, Dr. David Hoyle, will preside over the service. Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, will deliver the sermon.
The Last Post will sound at 11:55
There will be a playing of “The Last Post” and a two-minute moment of silence.
Noon – The state funeral concludes
The state funeral service will conclude with the playing of the national anthem. The state gun carriage will then take the coffin.
12.15 p.m. – A procession will carry the coffin to Wellington Arch
The King will lead a number of groups in the procession, and each group will be accompanied by a service band. In addition to detachments from the Commonwealth’s armed services, these groupings also comprise NHS representatives and members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
During the procession, the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery will fire guns in Hyde Park every minute, and Big Ben will ring every minute.
At Wellington Arch, the coffin will be placed in the state hearse at 1pm
When the procession reaches Wellington Arch, the coffin will be transferred to the hearse by the carrying party before the car departs for Windsor. The national anthem will be played, and there will also be a royal salute.
3pm
Soon after 3 o’clock, the hearse will arrive at Shaw Farm Gate in Albert Road, Windsor, where it will join a funeral procession that has already gathered and is prepared to ascend Long Walk to Windsor Castle.
3.40pm
The procession at the Quadrangle in the castle grounds will be joined by the King along with other members of the royal family, who will be seated at the back of the coffin.
3.53pm
The procession will arrive at the west steps of St George’s Castle in Windsor. Before the committal service, the coffin will be carried into the chapel by the bearer party after being lifted from the hearse.
4pm
A televised committal service will start with around 800 people present. David Conner, the dean of Windsor, will preside over it with the blessing of Canterbury’s archbishop. After that, the Queen’s coffin will be lowered into the royal vault.
7.30pm
Only the King and the royal family will be present for a private burial service conducted by the dean of Windsor. Alongside Prince Philip and her parents, King George VI and the Queen Mother, the Queen’s coffin will be placed to rest in the George VI memorial chapel in St. George’s Chapel.
