Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral to be held on September 19

PTI, Sep 11, 2022, 9:11 AM IST

A tribute to the Queen on a bus stop in London’s West End, Friday, September 9, 2022. (Credit: AP/PTI)

London: The State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II will take place at Westminster Abbey in London on September 19 at 11 am local time, Buckingham Palace announced on Saturday.

Prior to the State Funeral, the late British monarch will lie-in-state at Westminster Hall nearby for four days to allow the public to pay their respects.

“During the Lying-in-State, members of the public will have the opportunity to visit Westminster Hall to pay their respects to the Queen,” the palace statement said.

“On the morning of Monday 19th September, the Lying-in-State will end and the coffin will be taken in Procession from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey, where the State Funeral Service will take place,” it said.

Following the State Funeral, the coffin will travel in procession from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch in London for its onward journey to Windsor.

In Windsor, the State Hearse will travel in procession to St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, the monarch’s final resting place with her late husband – Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.

The last State Funeral was held for former prime minister Winston Churchill in 1965.

In the coming days, the Queen’s coffin, which currently rests in the Ballroom at Balmoral Castle in Scotland where she died peacefully on Thursday, will travel to Edinburgh on Sunday by road, to arrive at the Palace of Holyroodhouse to rest in the Throne Room until Monday afternoon.

“It will be especially poignant to see Her Majesty’s coffin begin its journey from her Aberdeenshire home to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh,” said Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

“This is a chance for people to gather together publicly and begin to mark our country’s shared loss. We anticipate many, many people will be keen to pay their respects and we ask them to observe public safety messaging to ensure the safety of all,” she said.

A procession will be formed on the forecourt of the Palace of Holyroodhouse to convey the coffin to St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh. King Charles III and members of the royal family will take part in the procession and attend a service in the cathedral to receive the coffin. The Scottish government has confirmed designated viewing stops along the procession route.

“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,” Buckingham Palace said.

On Tuesday, the coffin will travel from Scotland by Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft from Edinburgh Airport, arriving at RAF Northolt in England later that evening. It will be accompanied on the journey by the Queen’s daughter, Anne – the Princess Royal. The Queen’s Coffin will then be conveyed to Buckingham Palace by road, to rest 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 palace said.

The route of the procession will take in iconic central London sights such as Queen’s Gardens, The Mall, Horse Guards and Horse Guards Arch, Whitehall, Parliament Street, Parliament Square and New Palace Yard.

After the coffin arrives at Westminster Hall, the Archbishop of Canterbury will conduct a service assisted by the Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, and attended by the King and members of the royal family, after which the Lying-in-State will begin for the public to pay their respects.

Queen Elizabeth II, the UK’s longest-serving monarch, died on Thursday at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after reigning for 70 years. She was 96.