Queen Elizabeth II will be laid to rest today at St George's Chapel after a historic funeral service at Westminster Abbey.
The service will begin at 11am today, and last for one hour. The ceremony will draw to a close with the sound of the Last Post, followed by a national two-minute silence in honour of the late monarch.
The congregation will then sing God Save the King, which is not only the British national anthem but that of all Commonwealth realms, their territories, and the Crown Dependencies in the British isles.
Only the first verse of it is typically sung at official occasions, but it consists of another five verses. Here are the full lyrics to the national anthem.
What are the lyrics to ‘God Save the King/Queen’?
Here are the full lyrics of British national anthem 'God Save the King' :
God save our gracious King,
Long live our noble King,
God save the King!
Send him victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us,
God save the King!
O Lord our God arise,
Scatter our enemies,
And make them fall!
Confound their politics,
Frustrate their knavish tricks,
On Thee our hopes we fix,
God save us all!
Not in this land alone,
But be God’s mercies known,
From shore to shore!
Lord make the nations see,
That men should brothers be,
And form one family,
The wide world o’er.
From every latent foe,
From the assassins blow,
God save the King!
O’er his thine arm extend,
For Britain’s sake defend,
Our father, prince, and friend,
God save the King!
Thy choicest gifts in store,
On him be pleased to pour,
Long may he reign!
May he defend our laws,
And ever give us cause,
To sing with heart and voice,
God save the King!
When did God Save The King become the national anthem?
God Save The King was first adopted as an anthem in September 1745, during the reign of George II. The composer of the anthem remains unknown.
Once Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne in 1952, the anthem has substituted the word 'King' for 'Queen.'
'God Save The Queen has been sung throughout the Queen's reign, however 'God Save The King' was sung for the first time in 70 years, days after the Queen's death as King Charles III became the new monarch.
Follow what's happening at the Queen's funeral on our live blog here
