The Queen will be laid to rest on Monday, September 19. Queen Elizabeth II died peacefully at Balmoral, her Scottish Highlands home, on September 8. Buckingham Palace announced the news that day, at around 6.30pm, hours after sharing a statement saying doctors were concerned for her health.
Following her death, the Queen, accompanied by her only daughter Anne, Princess Royal was taken to St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh where her four children, including the now King Charles III, took part in a Vigil of the Princes before members of the public filed past the Queen's coffin and pay their final respects.
On Tuesday, the Queen was taken from Edinburgh back to London where she was received, privately, by her children and grandchildren before spending on last night at Buckingham Palace, the place she reportedly called the office. Then on Wednesday, a procession was held as her coffin left the Palace for the last time before lying in state at Westminster Hall.
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Four days of lying in state will come to an end early Monday morning before the Queen's state funeral begins. At 8am on the morning of Queen Elizabeth II's funeral, the doors of Westminster Abbey will open for the congregation to begin taking their seats. The King will then once again lead his family in marching behind the Queen’s coffin when it is moved, at 10.44am on Monday, from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey for the Queen’s funeral service.
He will walk with the Princess Royal, Duke of York and Earl of Wessex and behind the quartet will be the Queen’s grandsons Peter Phillips, Duke of Sussex and the Prince of Wales. They will be followed by the late monarch’s son-in-law Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of Gloucester, the Queen’s cousin, and her nephew the Earl of Snowdon.
The procession will arrive at the west gate of Westminster Abbey at 10.52am when the bearer party will lift the coffin from the gun carriage and carry it into the Abbey for the state funeral service, the Earl Marshal said. The service will begin at 11am and will be conducted by the Dean of Westminster.
Is the Queen's funeral on TV?
Huw Edwards, Kirsty Young and David Dimbleby are among the presenters who will anchor the BBC’s TV coverage of the Queen’s funeral.
Their special programming covering the historic day on September 19 will air from 8am until 5pm on BBC One and iPlayer, with BSL signed coverage on BBC Two.
BBC World Service English will broadcast the main events of the procession, the funeral and the committal service. For radio audiences, a special programme presented by Martha Kearney will capture the key events in London and Windsor.
The programme will be simulcast on BBC Sounds, and the BBC’s plethora of radio stations including the channels for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will air coverage at various times throughout the day. The two-minute silence during the funeral service will be observed across all live stations, the BBC has said.
ITV will also provide coverage of the historic events with Good Morning Britain previewing the funeral from 6am. Tom Bradby and Julie Etchingham will then host the main the broadcast. Their programming will start at 9.30am and the broadcasters will be joined by guests and royal experts throughout the day, while other reporters will be staged at key landmarks.
Evening News presenter Mary Nightingale will lead the reporting from Westminster Abbey, while royal editor Chris Ship will be in London and Windsor. The funeral coverage will be followed by ITV Regional News and an extended Evening News.
A documentary chronicling the lead-up to the funeral, titled Queen Elizabeth II: A Nation Remembers, will air at 7.30pm. There will be a further documentary programme focusing on the day’s events, narrated by ITV News’ James Mates. An extended News at Ten presented by Tom will then follow.
Sky News will provide full live coverage for free on Sky News, the Sky News App and on the Sky News YouTube channel, including a special programme starting at 9am from Westminster Abbey.
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