The date of the funeral will be confirmed “in due course”, the statement added. Here’s what you can expect to happen in the coming days. Preparations are currently being made to bring her body back to London. The coffin will first leave Balmoral, the Queen’s Scottish country retreat, for the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. The property is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. It will then likely travel in procession to Edinburgh’s St Giles Cathedral, where the Queen will lie in state before being flown to London. We don’t yet know exactly how the coffin will travel south. routes are available both by rail and air.
How can the public pay their respects?
Historical precedent suggests that once in London, the Queen will likely lie in state at Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the Palace of Westminster. The coffins of past monarchs rested on a raised dais — or catafalque — in the middle of the hall, guarded around the clock by units of the Sovereign’s Bodyguard, Foot Guards or Household Cavalry. Brass plaques in the 11th century hall mark the site of Edward VII in 1910, George V in 1936, George VI in 1952 and Queen Mary a year later. The hall, which is over 1,000 years old, is also where wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill was in 1965. The Queen Mother was the most recent member of the royal family to stay in state in the hall (and only the second royal spouse to be honored) in 2002. On the occasion, her grandsons — Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Prince O Edward and Viscount Linley — joined the vigil, in what is unofficially called “The Vigil of the Princes”. The sons of King George V also guarded his recumbent. The palace has yet to confirm who could join the Queen’s guard. The coffin is likely to remain there for several days, at which point members of the public will be able to walk across the platform and view the monarch’s coffin. Thousands are expected to line up, with some potentially sleeping through the night in a bid to pay their respects.
What might the Queen’s funeral look like?
As a monarch, Queen Elizabeth will automatically receive a publicly funded state funeral. It will take place at Westminster Abbey sometime in the next two weeks, although the exact day will be confirmed in due course.
The abbey was founded in 960 AD. by Benedictine monks and is one of the most recognizable landmarks in London. It has often been the setting for landmark royal moments such as coronations, weddings and funerals over the years.
We’re still days away from the guest list, but heads of state and dignitaries from around the world are likely to arrive in the British capital to celebrate the Queen’s life and 70 years of service to the nation. Other familiar faces will be some of the Queen’s 15 former prime ministers and senior MPs.
Members of the British royal family who hold high military rank, the sovereign’s wife and the heir to the throne normally receive ceremonial royal funerals, as was the case with Prince Philip’s funeral in April 2021.
According to a 2013 House of Commons briefing note, the main differences between state and ceremonial funerals are that a state funeral requires parliamentary approval and that the carriage carrying the coffin is pulled by Royal Navy sailors rather than horses .
The sailor tradition began at Queen Victoria’s state funeral in January 1901. According to the royal family’s official website: “The horses that were supposed to pull the carriage became restless standing in the cold and behaving in a dangerous manner. … a group of sailors undertook the task of pulling the gun carriage to St George’s Chapel.’
A handful of non-sovereigns have been accorded the honor of a state funeral, including Isaac Newton, Horatio Nelson, the first Duke of Wellington and, of course, Churchill.
After Churchill’s death in 1965, it was Queen Elizabeth II who tabled a note in Parliament, declaring that the wartime leader had “served his country unceasingly for more than 50 years and in our hour of greatest peril he was the inspirational leader which strengthened and supported us all.”
Where will the queen be buried?
After the Queen’s funeral, her coffin will make its final journey from London to Windsor. His destination is the now famous St. George’s Chapel inside Windsor Castle. Prince Philip’s memorial service was held there, as well as happier events such as the wedding of the Queen’s grandchildren. After the service for the Duke of Edinburgh in 2021, his coffin was lowered into the Royal Vault, located below the chapel, where many members of the royal family have been laid to rest. However, with the Queen’s death, it is expected to be moved and the couple reunited to lie in state together in the King George VI chapel elsewhere in St George’s. To get updates about the British Royal Family delivered to your inbox, sign up for CNN’s Royal News newsletter.
