LONDON – The state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II will be held at Westminster Abbey on September 19, Buckingham Palace announced on Saturday.
“The State Funeral of Her Majesty The Queen will take place at Westminster Abbey on Monday 19th September at 1100hrs BST,” the statement said.
The day of the state funeral will be a bank holiday after King Charles III approved an order earlier in the day to that effect.
Members of the public will be able to pay their respects as the queen will lie in state at the Palace of Westminster for four days, from Sept. 14 to the morning of the funeral.
“Prior to the State Funeral, The Queen will Lie-in-State in Westminster Hall for four days, to allow the public to pay their respects,” the statement continued.
The queen's coffin “will travel from Scotland by Royal Air Force aircraft from Edinburgh Airport” to London on Sept. 13, it added.
The details of the funeral were released Saturday and the late queen was consulted on all the plans before her passing.
Plan for queen’s funeral
The queen’s coffin is currently at Balmoral Castle, Scotland, where it is draped in the Standard of Scotland. Staff at the castle will be allowed to pay their respects before the coffin is transported to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, the Scottish capital, tomorrow, where staff there will also be allowed to pay their respects. The journey is expected to take around six hours.
On Sept. 12, the king and the queen consort will travel to Edinburgh and join the procession as the coffin is moved from the Palace of Holyroodhouse, through the Royal Mile, to St Giles Cathedral, where a service will take place. During the service, the Crown of Scotland will be placed on top of the coffin.
At St Giles Cathedral, the people of Scotland will be allowed to pay their respects.
On Sept. 13, the queen’s coffin will be flown from Edinburgh to London, then driven to Buckingham Palace. The coffin will be accompanied on its journey by Princess Anne, the king's sister.
On Sept. 14, members of the Royal Family, including the king and the queen consort, will attend prayers in Buckingham Palace. The queen’s coffin will then be taken in procession, including the king and members of the Royal Family, to Westminster Hall. At this time, Big Ben will toll and there will be gun salutes.
The coffin will arrive at Westminster Hall at 3 p.m., after which time the Archbishop of Canterbury will conduct a ceremony.
It is at Westminster Hall where the queen will lie in state for four days, until 6.30 a.m. on the day of the state funeral, for members of the public to pay their respects.
The coffin will then travel in procession from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch to Windsor, and from there will travel via State Hearse to St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle through the Long Walk.
A Committal Service will be held at St George’s Chapel, where the queen will be buried next to her husband, the late Prince Philip.
The day after the state funeral, the king and the queen consort will travel to Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, and then to Hillsborough Castle.
They will view an exhibition of the queen’s life, and the king will meet the secretary of state for Northern Ireland as well as party leaders. The king and the queen consort will then attend a service at St Anne’s Cathedral.
The queen died on Thursday, Sept. 8 in Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire, Scotland at the age of 96. (Anadolu)
