The Queen’s Funeral takes place on Monday 19 September, as thousands of public mourners gather in London to pay their respects – and the royal family, including the new King Charles, say their final goodbyes to the late monarch.
Since the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September, Britain has been observing a period of national mourning. The Queen’s coffin has been lying in state (referring to the time where the coffin of a monarch or sometimes a prime minister is placed on view before the funeral) at Westminster Hall, where people have been queuing through the night to be able to pay their respects to the late monarch.
In accordance with the wishes of the new King Charles III, the public mourning period will continue until seven days after the Queen’s state funeral, which will take place at 11am on Monday 19 September. Here, we bring updates from Her Majesty’s funeral, as it happens.
The Queen’s funeral is taking place in Westminster Abbey, the same church in which she married Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh in 1947, and where her Coronation was held six years later. On Monday morning, ahead of the funeral, the coffin will be taken from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey and from here, following the service, it will travel in procession from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch, and from there, on to Windsor. There, the State Hearse will travel in procession via the Long Walk to St George’s Chapel, where a committal service will take place.
A bell tolls every minute for 96 minutes to mark Queen Elizabeth’s life
Ahead of the funeral service, the Westminster Abbey bell tolls every minute, for 96 minutes, to mark every year of the late Queen Elizabeth’s life.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte will attend the Queen’s funeral
It has been confirmed that the young Prince George and Princess Charlotte – children of Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, and Prince William, the Prince of Wales – will attend the funeral alongside the other members of the royal family.
Of course, the late Queen’s extended family will be in attendance to mourn their mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Senior members of the royal family who will present include her four children – King Charles III, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York, and Prince Edward – as well as Camilla, the Queen Consort, the Countess of Wessex, and the monarch’s grandchildren – Princes William and Harry, Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, Princesses Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, and Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn, will also be present at the ceremony.
Spouses of all close family will of course be present too, including the Princess of Wales, and Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex.
World leaders including Joe Biden arrive at the funeral
US President Joe Biden has arrived at the abbey alongside First Lady Jill Biden. The UK’s former prime ministers and their partners, including Boris Johnson, David Cameron and Theresa May, have also taken their seats.
Liz Truss, the current UK Prime Minister has also arrived to join the proceedings at Westminster Abbey, along with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, and some of the Queen’s closest staff, including her ladies-in-waiting and footmen.
The Queen’s funeral is being livestreamed
The funeral service is being broadcast on television. BBC One and BBC News will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Sky News has also confirmed its broadcast schedule for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, with live coverage throughout the day available on Sky News and the Sky News App, YouTube and on Freeview.
Where will the Queen be buried?
After the funeral, the Queen’s coffin will travel to her final resting place, St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, Her Majesty’s official residence. She will be buried beside Prince Philip, who was laid to rest in the Royal Vault of the chapel after his funeral on 17 April 2021.