As the nation prepares to celebrate the life of Queen Elizabeth II tomorrow, there will be severe disruption to many services and business across Edinburgh.
The Queen passed away on Thursday, September 8 at the age of 96, and her funeral will take place on Monday, September 19 at Westminster Abbey. A bank holiday has been declared for the historic event, and since tomorrow was already a bank holiday for Scotland, services had already been disrupted somewhat by this.
However, following the news of the Queen's death, several business, charities and organisations will be closing their doors, or reducing their opening hours to mark respects for the monarch. Listed below are all the spaces that will be closed tomorrow to commemorate the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
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Supermarkets
Stores like Aldi, Lidl, Waitrose and Sainsbury's will close their doors to mark the Queen's state funeral. Larger Tesco's, Morrison's and Asda stores will also close for the day, but the smaller stores will only close between 10am and 12pm on the day.
Iceland have yet to announce their plans for tomorrow's state funeral. A spokesperson for Sainsbury’s said: “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. In honour of Her Majesty and so our colleagues can pay their respects, all Sainsbury’s supermarkets and Argos stores will be closed on Monday, 19 th September.
"This includes Groceries Online and Argos Fast Track delivery. Our convenience stores and petrol filling stations will be open from 5pm-10pm to allow our customers to pick up essential items, while select stores in central London will open to serve those attending the funeral in person. We thank our customers for their understanding.”
Churches
While the service will be broadcasted in Holyrood Park in front of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, churches will not be allowed to hold remembrance services for the Queen at the same time of her funeral.
According to protocol, no church can hold an official remembrance or thanksgiving service for the Queen until "some time" after the funeral.
Cinemas
Most cinemas across Scotland will be closed all day on Monday, but some cinemas will live stream the funeral. Vue Cinemas across the nation will keep their doors open, only to screen the funeral tomorrow.
A statement on the Vue Cinemas website said: "The Queen was renowned for her support of the UK's creative industries, having been patron of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, the Royal Variety Charity and the Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund."
DIY Stores
If you are looking to catch up on some DIY work throughout this week, you will need to wait until Tuesday to gather supplies, as main chains B&Q and Homebase have announced they will be closed tomorrow.
A B&Q spokesperson said: "As a mark of respect for the State Funeral for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and to offer our colleagues the opportunity to pay their respects, we have taken the decision to close all our UK stores on Monday 19 September.
"Our click and collect and home delivery services will also be temporarily suspended on the day."
NHS Services
The NHS have also noted that non-urgent appointments could be rearranged by certain clinics, and outpatient appointments could also face a similar fate. An NHS Lothian spokesperson said: “As per standard public holiday arrangements, which were in place prior to the announcement of Her Majesty’s funeral due to the regional public holiday in Lothian, GP practices and many community pharmacies will be closed.
“We’d encourage anyone who needs a prescription to make arrangements to collect this before the weekend. If you’re booked in for a flu jab and/or a COVID-19 winter booster at a local pharmacy, the pharmacy should contact you directly if there are any changes to your appointment.
“Elective surgeries have not been scheduled for Monday and the majority of outpatient clinics will be closed. No winter vaccination appointments have been scheduled in community clinics for Monday, but some staff clinics will still be taking place on our sites.
“If you need urgent medical care over the bank holiday weekend, please contact NHS 24 on 111 for advice and help us keep A&E free for critical emergencies.”
Poundland
Discount store Poundland have also announced that they will remain closed on Monday to mark the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. A spokesperson for Poundland said: "We know how important it is that colleagues have the opportunity to join with their families and pay their respects on the day the funeral takes place.
"Any colleagues who were scheduled to work on 19 September, will receive their scheduled pay in full."
Edinburgh Bus Tours
Edinburgh Bus Tours have shared that they will be suspending their services on Monday as well, as it was on Friday, September 16. They will resume on Tuesday, September 20. They said on social media: "Following the passing of Her Majesty The Queen, our Edinburgh Bus Tour operation is currently suspended & will resume on Friday September 16.
“Due to the Bank Holiday for the State Funeral, tours will not operate on Monday September 19 & will recommence on Tuesday 20.”
McDonald's
Popular fast food chain restaurant McDonald's have also stated that they will close all of their stores across the UK until 5pm on Monday, September 19 as a mark of respect to the Queen.
In a social media post on Twitter, McDonald's said: "All of our UK restaurants will be closed on Monday until 5pm, to allow everyone at McDonald’s to pay their respects to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II."
Edinburgh Leisure
Edinburgh Leisure have also noted that they will be cancelling services and shutting centres across the capital. In a statement on social media, they said: "All Edinburgh Leisure venues and services will be closed on Monday 19th September as a mark of respect to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
“We believe this is the right thing to do for our employees and customers. Please accept our apologies for the disruption to your planned activities and any inconvenience caused. Our venues will be reopening on Tuesday 20th September.
“If you normally have a coaching class on a Monday your next direct debit will be amended to account for the cancellation of this class. If you have paid for a booked activity on Monday September 19 we will automatically refund you.”
Livingston Designer Outlet and The Centre
A stone's throw from the city centre of Edinburgh, and a popular shopping space, Livingston Designer Outlet and The Centre will close most of their stores across the retail park tomorrow. Among the services remaining open are food outlets Burger King, from 1pm-7pm, Five Guys 11am -10pm and Nandos from 4pm -9pm.
The Centre website said: “We will update this list regularly but these may be subject to change at short notice, so please check directly with individual retailers regarding the services available, as well as opening times as these may not be the same as usual, to avoid disappointment.”
Libraries
The National Library of Scotland shared on social media: "Our George IV Bridge building in Edinburgh reopens today. To mark the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, all our buildings and services will be closed on Monday 19 September.”
Ikea
Ikea, which is located in Loanhead, just outside of Edinburgh, will be closed on Monday to commemorate the Queen's death. An Ikea UK spokesperson said: "Out of respect, and to enable our co-workers to participate in the funeral, Ikea UK will pause its business operations, including closing all of our UK stores on Monday 19 September."
Universities
Students who attend Napier University, Queen Margaret and Edinburgh University will also see their buildings close for the state funeral. Edinburgh Napier University's statement read: "Following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II last week, a bank holiday has been announced on Mon 19 September for the Queen’s funeral.
“#EdNapier is observing the bank holiday and will close the University on Monday 19 September.”
Argos
Argos, which is owned by Sainsbury's, will be closed for Queen Elizabeth II's funeral tomorrow as well.
A Sainsbury's spokesperson said: “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. In honour of Her Majesty and so our colleagues can pay their respects, all Sainsbury’s supermarkets and Argos stores will be closed on Monday, September 19.
"This includes Groceries Online and Argos Fast Track delivery. Our convenience stores and petrol filling stations will be open from 5pm to 10pm to allow our customers to pick up essential items, while select stores in central London will open to serve those attending the funeral in person.
"We thank our customers for their understanding.”
Bars
Popular Edinburgh-based bar Brewdog have also noted in a statement that they will close until 2pm for the Queen's state funeral. Brewdog wrote on social media: "Out of respect for Her Majesty the Queen's funeral BrewDog Bars' opening hours have been adjusted for Monday September 19. All of our UK bars will be closed until 2:00pm.
"However, our central London locations will open their doors early only to allow people to use our toilets and baby change facilities free of charge. Trading in these bars will not commence until 2:00pm.
"Our hotels will remain open for hotel guests only."
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