The Queen will be buried on Monday. Just like the precisely planned processes surrounding the news of her death, the day of the funeral itself is meticulously planned. An overview.
London – The state act for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II has been meticulously prepared for decades. Nothing is left to chance as Britain bids its final farewell to its Queen on Monday. A chronological overview (all times in Central European Summer Time): dpa
- 7.30am: Westminster Hall doors close. This ends the four-day display of the coffin in Parliament, during which the public had the opportunity to say goodbye to the Queen. Tens of thousands have used it. Some of them had to queue for more than 20 hours in a line up to eight kilometers long through central London.
- 11:44 a.m.: The coffin is transferred from Parliament to nearby Westminster Abbey in a procession on a carriage drawn by 98 marines – a carriage designed for cannons. King Charles III (73) and his siblings Princess Anne (72), Prince Andrew (62) and Prince Edward (58) follow the coffin on foot. Behind them are the heir to the throne Prince William (40), Prince Harry (38) and other royals and members of the royal household.
- 11:52 a.m.: The coffin arrives at Westminster Abbey and is carried into the church by the pallbearers.
- 12.00 noon: Worship service begins with the participation of hundreds of Heads of State and Government, Crowned Heads and Dignitaries. A total of 2,000 people are invited to the funeral mass, including US President Joe Biden, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, French President Emmanuel Macron and Japanese Emperor Naruhito. The service will be led by the Dean of Westminster, David Hoyle. Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby will preach.
- 12:55 p.m.: The Last Post horn sounds in the church. This is followed by a two-minute silence across the country.
- 1:00 p.m.: The national anthem is sung. The coffin is then carried out of the church and taken by procession to Wellington Arch. Once again, the royals accompany the Queen on foot. The route leads from Parliament via Whitehall and the Horse Guards Parade parade ground to The Mall and past Buckingham Palace and Green Park. Again, the royals follow the coffin on foot. King’s wife Camilla (75), Princess Kate (40), Duchess Meghan (41) and Countess Sophie (57), Prince Edward’s wife, drive in the car.
- Deputations from the armed forces of Great Britain and other Commonwealth countries also take part in the procession. Big Ben bangs throughout the procession and a gun salute is fired in Hyde Park. Many thousands of people are expected along the route to pay their last respects to the monarch.
- 2:00 p.m.: The coffin arrives at Wellington Arch. There he is transferred to a hearse for transport to Windsor. The soldiers bid farewell to the Queen with a military salute and the national anthem. The Royal Family then makes their way to Windsor. The route would normally be covered in less than an hour, but the hearse will move slowly. Here, too, thousands of people are expected along the road to pay their respects to the Queen.
- 4.10pm: On entering Windsor the hearse slows and joins another procession heading down the Long Walk, a long avenue, towards Windsor Castle.
- 4.40 p.m .: In the courtyard of the castle, the royals also join the funeral procession, which then leads to St George’s Chapel.
- 5.00pm: The funeral service begins at St George’s Chapel. In addition to the Royal Family, the members of the royal household and the heads of government of the countries whose head of state was Elizabeth II, as well as the governors-general who represented them there, take part. The service will be led by the Dean of Windsor, David Conner. Before the last song, the crown, scepter and orb are removed from the coffin and placed on the altar. Then the coffin is lowered into the royal tomb. The national anthem ends the service.
- 8.30pm: The Queen will be buried at a private funeral in the King George VI side chapel inside the church alongside her husband Prince Philip, who died last year.
