Queen Elizabeth’s state funeral details revealed
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Details for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral and the days leading up to the service have been revealed.
“The State Funeral of Her Majesty The Queen will take place at Westminster Abbey on Monday 19th September at 1100hrs BST.
Prior to the State Funeral, The Queen will Lie-in-State in Westminster Hall for four days, to allow the public to pay their respects,” the Royal Family announced via Twitter on Saturday.
The Queen’s coffin, according to the Palace, is currently lying in state in the Ballroom at Balmoral Castle and will be transported to Edinburgh on Sunday. After that, it will rest until Monday afternoon in the Throne Room of the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
A procession will form on the Palace of Holyroodhouse’s forecourt on Monday to transport the coffin to St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh. King Charles III and other members of the royal family will march in the procession there.
“Her Majesty’s Coffin will then lie at rest in St Giles’ Cathedral, guarded by Vigils from The Royal Company of Archers, to allow the people of Scotland to pay their respects,” the statement continued.
The Queen’s coffin will then fly on a Royal Air Force aircraft on Tuesday from Scotland to RAF Northolt. Princess Anne is expected to be on the plane.
The coffin will then be transported by road to Buckingham Palace, where it will lie in state in the Bow Room.
“On the afternoon of Wednesday 14th September, the Coffin will be borne in Procession on a Gun Carriage of The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster, where The Queen will Lie-in-State in Westminster Hall until the morning of the State Funeral,” the statement explained.
In order to give people a chance to line the streets and pay their respects, the procession will wind through Queen’s Gardens, The Mall, Horse Guards and Horse Guards Arch, Whitehall, Parliament Street, Parliament Square, and New Palace Yard.
The Very Reverend Dr. David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, and The Archbishop of Canterbury will lead a brief service after the coffin arrives at Westminster Hall. King Charles will attend the service along with other family members.
The public will then have the chance to visit Westminster Hall to pay their respects to the late monarch during the period of lying in state.
According to the government’s longstanding plan for the late Queen’s death, dubbed “Operation London Bridge,” the service of remembrance will be attended by her royal family members, the Prime Minister, as well as a small number of senior ministers.
After a committal service, her body will be transported to a prepared grave at King George VI Memorial Chapel in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, where she will be buried alongside her husband Prince Philip.
The eldest son of the Queen and the new King of England, Prince Charles, has been touring the UK to express his grief over the passing of the monarch and to address the general public in his new role.
“Following further evaluation this morning, the Queen’s doctors are concerned for Her Majesty’s health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision,” the statement read. “The Queen remains comfortable and at Balmoral.”
Charles has now been made King of England while his second wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, has taken on the title of Queen Consort.
