The journey is around 1,800 meters long – just over a mile – and takes in two of London’s most famous streets, the Mall and Whitehall. Here is our guide to the route. The Queen’s coffin will be taken from the Bow Room of Buckingham Palace and placed in a gun carriage of the King’s Royal Artillery. The march from the palace is scheduled to start at 14.22. The King and his siblings will walk behind the carriage, as will Princes William and Harry. Camilla the Queen Consort, Kate the Princess of Wales, the Duchess of Sussex and the Countess of Wessex will travel by car. Other royals in the procession include Anne’s son Peter Phillips, the Queen’s eldest grandchild. The Imperial State Crown and a wreath of flowers will be placed on the coffin. A senior palace official said the silent procession would be “relatively small and private”. To the sound of miniature guns, the carriage will carry the Queen along the Mall, the grand boulevard in front of her home since 1952, for the last time. It was here, in summer, that crowds cheered the monarch as she appeared on the palace balcony during her jubilee celebrations. At about 900 meters, this is the longest part of the route. Read more: Queue route to see the Queen in state revealed The carriage will then turn right onto Horse Guards Road and enter Horse Guards Parade. With Big Ben tolling every minute, the procession will make its way through the grand parade ground, famous as Trooping the Colour. The pomp and pageantry of this event, with soldiers parading in their red tunics and bearskin hats, has marked the sovereign’s official birthday for more than 260 years. The Queen herself used to attend on horseback, but in recent years has traveled by carriage. Passing the Horse Guard Arch and turning right into Whitehall, the carriage will pass some of the major government offices, including Downing Street, as it travels approximately 430 meters to Parliament Square. It will also pass the Cenotaph, the nation’s war dead memorial, where for more than 60 years the Queen has laid a wreath on Remembrance Sunday. As Whitehall turns into Parliament Street, the famous view of the Houses of Parliament opens up, with the medieval church of St. Margaret on the right and the golden Victoria Tower on the left. The newly renovated Big Ben (officially known as the Elizabeth Tower) looms large as the carriage passes over the junction in Parliament Square and finally turns left to enter New Palace Yard at 3pm. The Queen’s coffin will then be carried into Westminster Hall, the oldest building of Parliament, as the King and other royals follow. The Speakers of both Houses of Parliament, the Black Rod and two of the Queen’s senior advisers, will lead the procession. Dressed in the Royal Standard and with the Orb and Scepter on top, the coffin will be placed on a raised platform – the catafalque. Read more about the Queen: In pictures: The Queen’s journey back to Buckingham Palace Which shops will be open and closed on the day of the Queen’s funeral? The Archbishop of Canterbury will conduct a service lasting about 20 minutes, assisted by the Dean of Westminster. Members of the Sovereign’s Bodyguard, the Household Division and the Yeoman Warders of the Tower of London will guard the Queen as she begins lying in state. It starts at 5pm on Wednesday and runs until 6.30am on Monday. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to file past the coffin 24 hours a day ahead of next week’s state funeral at nearby Westminster Abbey.
