Here, Sky News provides a daily account of what is expected to happen in the next 10 days, leading up to the monarch’s funeral. The date the Queen died at Balmoral would traditionally be D-Day, or D+0, in the plans. However, the late time of the announcement of her death – around 6.30 p.m. on Thursday – meaning plans have been shifted a day to allow the complex arrangements to be put in place. Follow the latest updates after the Queen’s death Friday, September 9 King Charles III returned from Balmoral to London where – despite his grief – he held his first audience with Prime Minister Liz Truss. Sky royal commentator Alastair Bruce said the relationship between the monarch and prime minister “is always very private”. “It is a function of the continuity of the crown to maintain the relationship,” he said. A period of national mourning has officially begun across the country and will continue until the day of the Queen’s funeral, the date of which has yet to be confirmed. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 2:15 King Charles greets cheering crowds Members of the royal family and royal household staff will also observe a period of royal mourning for up to seven days after the Queen’s funeral. On Friday, Charles was expected to meet the Earl Marshal – the Duke of Norfolk – who is responsible for the Queen’s accession and funeral, to approve the carefully choreographed program for the coming days. The King addresses the nation on television at 6pm. A service is being held at St Paul’s Cathedral, with the prime minister and other senior ministers expected to attend and 2,000 seats available for the public. Image: A large crowd gathered outside Buckingham Palace on Friday Saturday, September 10 Charles III will be formally proclaimed King at the Accession Council, which meets at 10am at St James’s Palace in London. Bruce said the Accession Council is a “constitutional necessity”. “It comes from the time of Saxony, when all the great chiefs of the country met and were elected by the living descendants of the god King Woden,” he added. First, the Privy Council – which includes politicians, senior members of the clergy and judges of the Supreme Court – meets without the King to proclaim the new monarch and arrange the work associated with the proclamation. Then the King will hold his first privy council and make his personal declaration and oath to “assume the duties and responsibilities of sovereignty” and follow in his mother’s footsteps. The Queen Consort and the King’s son William, now the Duke of Cornwall, are both members of the Privy Council and are expected to attend. The first public proclamation of the new sovereign is read outdoors from the balcony of Friary Court at St James’s Palace by the Garter King of Arms. Bruce said this is “the time when technically people would have discovered in the past that the late queen is dead and the new king is now sovereign.” As the proclamation is read, a 41-gun salute will be fired by The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery in Hyde Park. Union flags are raised again at 1pm and remain there for 24 hours to coincide with the proclamations before returning to half-staff. Image: The Union Flag flies at half-mast at Windsor Castle Explaining this tradition, Bruce said: “We must always remember that while we are saddened by the passing of the previous monarch, we are happy to announce that there is a new king.” The crowning of the King will not happen immediately. The queen was not crowned for more than a year after her father’s death. Sunday, September 11 The Queen’s coffin is expected to be taken by road to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. The King, who succeeds his mother as head of the Commonwealth, is expected to have an audience with its secretary-general. Bruce said the head of the Commonwealth is not a title the King “naturally inherits”. “It’s something the Commonwealth agreed to a few years ago, so he’s now the new head of the Commonwealth,” he added. Proclamations will be read in the parliaments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Image: A woman mourns outside Buckingham Palace Monday, September 12 A procession is expected along the Royal Mile in Edinburgh to St Giles Cathedral, where the public may have the opportunity to pass the Queen’s coffin in a mini lying in state. A service will be held at St Giles and the Queen’s children are expected to hold a vigil around the Queen’s coffin, known as the Princes’ Vigil. The contingency plans for the Queen’s death in Scotland were called ‘Operation Unicorn’. Bruce said he expected the Crown of Scotland to be placed on the Queen’s coffin while she was there. Image: St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh “This is a separate crown from the one he was crowned in,” he said. “It is a symbol of the Scottish nation that is kept in Edinburgh Castle.” In Westminster, the House of Commons and the House of Lords are expected to meet for a Motion of Condolences, which could be attended by the King. After leaving England and visiting Scotland, Charles will at some stage travel to the other countries of the UK – Wales and Northern Ireland – known as Operation Spring Tide. Tuesday, September 13 The Queen’s coffin is due to be flown to London and is expected to lie in state at Buckingham Palace in the throne room, where she will be adorned with a crown, orb and sceptre. Image: The Queen’s coffin will lie in state in Buckingham Palace’s throne room A rehearsal is expected for the casket procession at the Palace of Westminster. Wednesday, September 14 The Queen’s enthronement is expected to begin at Westminster Hall, codenamed Operation Marquee, after a ceremonial procession through London. It will last four whole days. Image: The Queen’s coffin will travel from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, where she will lie in state The Archbishop of Canterbury may conduct a short service after the coffin arrives. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to pass by the coffin in his sanctuary and pay their respects, as they did for the Queen Mother’s vigil in 2002. Image: The Queen Mother’s coffin outside Westminster Hall in 2002 Senior members of the royal family are also expected to pay their own moving tributes, at some stage standing guard around the coffin – the tradition known as the Princes’ Vigil. Thursday, September 15 The Queen’s stay continues and there is likely to be a rehearsal for the state funeral. Friday September 16 to Sunday September 18 The Queen’s stay will end on Sunday 18 September. Heads of state are expected to begin arriving in the UK for the funeral. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 2:44 World leaders remember Queen fondly Monday, September 19 The Queen’s state funeral is expected to take place at Westminster Abbey in central London. There are believed to be plans for the Queen’s coffin to be carried in a gun carriage to the abbey. The military is expected to line the streets and also join the march. Image: The Queen’s coffin will be carried from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey for her funeral Following the funeral tradition of Diana, Princess of Wales, and the Duke of Edinburgh, the family is expected to follow behind the coffin. Heads of state, prime ministers and presidents, European royals and dignitaries will be invited to gather at the abbey, which can accommodate a congregation of 2,000. The service will be televised and a national two-minute silence is expected. Image: The Queen’s coffin will be taken to Windsor Castle On the same day as the funeral, the Queen’s coffin will be taken to St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle for a televised ceremony. The Queen’s final resting place is believed to be the King George VI Memorial, an annexe to the main chapel – where her mother and father are buried, along with the ashes of her sister, Princess Margaret.
