When was Queen Elizabeth II's funeral and where was it held?


Simon Rushton
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Queen Elizabeth II dies - follow the latest news as the world mourns

World leaders and British monarchists are set to descend on London for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

She will be buried 11 days after her death at Balmoral, her Scottish residence, on Thursday, September 8.

Hundreds of thousands of people from across the UK will be in the capital, keen just to be close to the historic event.

When is it?

The funeral will be a special British bank holiday on Monday, September 19.

The queen will lie in state in London at Westminster Hall, which dates to 1099, before her funeral.

The hall, inside the Palace of Westminster which houses the British Parliament, is the oldest building on the parliamentary estate.

The building has been the site of major events, such as the trial of Charles I, coronation banquets, and addresses by world leaders.

Is it a state funeral?

Yes. State funerals are rare and reserved only for heads of state and significant public figures.

The last royal to have a state funeral was the queen’s father, George VI in 1952.

The last non-royal state funeral was wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill in 1965.

Prince Philip, Princess Diana and the queen mother had ceremonial funerals.

Where is it?

It will be held at Westminster Abbey, which is only around the corner from Buckingham Palace and the Palace of Westminster.

The abbey has been the setting for all but two coronations of monarchs since 1066, and was also the location for the queen's marriage to the Duke of Edinburgh in 1947.

The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, who will be officiating the funeral, said it would be an opportunity to mourn and give thanks for the monarch's "extraordinary life".

"I think, like any funeral, this is an opportunity for us to mourn because we've lost someone we held dear and respected," he said.

"This is an opportunity for us to give thanks for an extraordinary life and an extraordinary achievement, this is an opportunity for us to pray for our new king and for his family in their grief, and this is an opportunity, if you like, for us to give the grief somewhere to go.

"A nation and Commonwealth, quite frankly the whole world, will be paying attention and the abbey will be a bit of a crucible holding all that, if you like."

Westminster Abbey will stage the funeral. Reuters
Westminster Abbey will stage the funeral. Reuters

Who will attend?

Heads of state, prime ministers and presidents, European royals and leading figures from public life will be invited to gather in the abbey,

A full list of mourners has not been announced, but it is believed only one or two representatives from each nation will attend.

The reason for the restrictions appear to be the space inside Westminster Abbey, which can hold a congregation of up to 2,000.

How it will work?

There will be a national bank holiday to allow as many people as possible to watch the queen's funeral.

The lying in state will continue until 6.30am (9.30am UAE) on the day of the funeral, when the coffin will be taken in a grand military procession from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey.

Senior members of the royal family are expected to follow behind the queen's coffin and the military will line the streets and also join the procession.

A national two minutes' silence is expected to be held.

After the service, the coffin will be taken to Wellington Arch and then travel to Windsor, where the hearse will travel in procession to St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle via the Long Walk.

A televised committal service will take place in St George's Chapel.

Later in the evening, there will be a private interment service with senior members of the royal family.

The queen's final resting place will be the King George VI memorial chapel, an annex to the main chapel — where her mother and father were buried, along with the ashes of her sister, Princess Margaret.

Prince Philip's coffin will move from the Royal Vault to the memorial chapel to join the queen's.

Is it being televised?

In Britain, yes. Further afield, it will be down to local decisions but international news channels are expected to run live services.

The St George's Chapel committal will also be televised but there will be a private interment service away from the cameras.

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Updated: September 06, 2023, 10:27 AM`