LONDON (Parliament Politics Magazine) – The longest reign in British history has ended with the death of the Queen.
At Scotland’s Balmoral Castle, she passed away quietly while being cared after by her family.
Here is what is expected of her lying in state and her state funeral in the coming days as the nation pays its respects.
Scottish journey
In the upcoming days, the Queen’s casket will leave Balmoral Estate for Edinburgh’s Palace of Holyroodhouse, the British Queen’s official residence in Scotland.
The public will be able to witness the Queen’s coffin when it is transported in procession from this location to St. Giles’ Cathedral, where she will lie in peace.
After that, the casket would be transported to London to prepare for the lying in state.
The Queen’s lying in state
Prior to her funeral, the Queen will lay in state in Westminster Hall for around four days so the members of the public can pay their respects.
The Palace of Westminster, the centre of British administration, houses its oldest section, known as the grand hall.
Over 200,000 people lined up to see the coffin of the Queen Mother, the last member of the Royal Family to lie in state in the hall, in 2002.
The Queen’s casket will lie atop a catafalque, an elevated platform, beneath the hall’s 11th-century timber roof. Soldiers from the Royal Household’s service units will be stationed at every corner of the platform to provide security.
A military parade and members of the Royal Family will accompany her in a slow march from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall.
Additionally, people will be able to see the procession as it moves through the streets, and large screens presumably will be placed up in London’s Royal Parks to stream the event.
A short service will follow the placement of the casket in the hall. The public will then be able to enter.
When is the funeral?Â
In less than two weeks, the state funeral for the Queen is scheduled to take place at Westminster Abbey. Buckingham Palace will reveal the precise day.
The Queen was crowned as monarch of Britain in 1953, and she had married Prince Philip there in 1947. The Abbey is a revered historical church where the kings and queens of Britain are crowned.
Although the Queen’s mother’s funeral was held there in 2002, there hasn’t been a royal funeral service in the Abbey since the 18th century.
International heads of state will fly in to join members of the Royal Family in remembering the Queen’s life and service. There will also be prominent British politicians and previous prime ministers.
The day will start as the State Gun Carriage of the Royal Navy transports the Queen’s coffin from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey.
The new King and other senior members of the Royal Family are likely to follow in procession.
David Hoyle, the Dean of Westminster, will likely preside over the ceremony, and Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, will deliver the sermon. Liz Truss, the prime minister, might be asked to read a lesson.
The Queen’s coffin will be carried in a walking procession to Wellington Arch at London’s Hyde Park Corner from the abbey after the funeral service before being transported by hearse to Windsor.
That afternoon, the Queen’s casket will make its last trip to Windsor Castle’s St. George’s Chapel.
Prior to the coffin entering St. George’s Chapel for a committal service, the King and senior members of the Royal Family are anticipated to join the procession in Windsor Castle’s Quadrangle.
The Royal Family frequently chooses St. George’s Chapel as the location for weddings, christenings, and funerals. Prince Philip, the Queen’s late husband’s funeral was held there, as well as the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan.
Before being buried in the King George VI memorial chapel, which is housed inside St. George’s Chapel, the Queen’s casket will be lowered into the Royal Vault.
