George and Charlotte, now second and third in line to the throne, will follow their parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales, as the coffin is carried through the abbey in front of a 2,000-strong congregation that includes world leaders. Police described the security operation, with more than 10,000 officers on duty, as the biggest in British history. The plan emerged as Buckingham Palace released the orders of service for Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral and ceremony at Windsor Castle. Eighteen members of Queen Elizabeth II’s family, led by the King, including the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, will be in attendance. In a statement, the King said he and the Queen Consort were “moved beyond measure” by those who paid their respects to the late Queen. “Over the past 10 days, my wife and I have been so deeply moved by the many messages of condolence and support we have received from across this country and around the world.” He added: “As we all prepare to say our final goodbyes, I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank all those countless people who have been such a support and comfort to my family and myself during this time of grief.” US President Joe Biden visited Westminster Hall to pay his respects to the late Queen, attending in lieu of state with First Lady Jill Biden ahead of the royal reception at Buckingham Palace on Sunday afternoon for about 500 presidents, prime ministers, royals and other dignitaries from around the world who have been invited to attend the state funeral. A minute’s silence was observed across the UK at 8pm on Sunday evening. The Queen’s coffin, which will be surmounted by the imperial state crown, orb and sceptre, will be placed at the same altar where she married Prince Philip and where she took her coronation vows. Both services include some deeply personal touches, which the Queen has been consulted on. At the start of the service, the five Propositions, lines of scripture set to music, will be sung as has been the case at every state funeral since the early 18th century. A specially commissioned choral piece, composed by the king’s master of music, Judith Weir, Like As the Hart, is said to be inspired by “His Majesty’s steadfast Christian faith” and is a setting of Psalm 42 set to music. Among the hymns chosen are The Day Thou Gavest, Lord and The Lord Is My Shepherd, I Shall Not Want, also sung at the wedding of the then Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten in 1947, and Love Divine, All Loves Excelling. A short hymn, O Taste and See How Gracious the Lord Is, was composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams for the Queen’s coronation in 1953. The homily will be delivered by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. The Prime Minister, Liz Truss, will read from John 14: 1–9a. And the Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Lady Scotland, will read from 1 Corinthians 15: 20-26. After the Last Post, two minutes of silence and the retreat, the National Anthem will be sung. The service will end with the Queen’s piper Paul Burns playing Sleep, Dearie, Sleep. Afterwards, the bells of Westminster Abbey will be rung, fully muffled, as is tradition after the funeral of the sovereign. Prince George, who is said to have called his great-grandmother ‘Gan Gun’, and Princess Charlotte will not join the procession during the later service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, which will be attended by 800 people . Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The choir will sing The Russian Contakion of the Departed, which was also sung for the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral. During the service, the Dean of Windsor, Dr David Conner, will read Revelation 21, verses 1-7, which was read at the funerals of the Queen’s grandparents, King George V in 1936 and Queen Mary in 1953, as well as to her. father’s funeral in 1952. The Dean will pay tribute to the late Queen at the pageant. “Here, in St. George’s Chapel, where he so often worshipped, we must remember someone whose simple but profound Christian faith bore so much fruit,” he will say. “Fruits, in a life of unbroken service to the nation, the commonwealth and the wider world, but also (and above all to be remembered in this place) in kindness, concern and reassuring care for her family and friends and neighbours. “In our rapidly changing and often turbulent world, her calm and dignified presence gave us the confidence to face the future, as she did, with courage and hope.” During the service, the imperial state crown, orb and scepter will be removed from the casket and placed on the high altar. The camp color of the Queen’s company is placed on the coffin by the King, having received it from the lieutenant-colonel of the regiment of Grenadier Guards. The Lord Chamberlain breaks his staff of office, which is then placed on the coffin. The coffin is lowered into the royal vault as the King, garter in hand, reads aloud the styles and titles of Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen’s piper will play a lament. She will be buried alongside the Duke of Edinburgh at the King George VI Memorial in a private ceremony attended by her family later in the evening. In a televised tribute, recorded before the Queen’s death, the Queen Consort said: “She was part of our lives forever.” She added: “It must have been so difficult for her being a single woman, and there were no female prime ministers or female presidents, she was the only one, so I think she carved out her own role.” Describing the Queen’s sense of humour, Camilla said she remembered going to Windsor on the day she got married “when I probably wasn’t firing on all cylinders, quite nervous and, for some unknown reason, I put on a pair of shoes and one had a inch heel and the other had a two inch heel. Well, I mean, talk about hop-a-long and I can’t do anything. And, he was watching and he laughed at it and he said, ‘Look, I’m terribly sorry,’ and you know he had a good sense of humor.” He added: ‘She has these lovely blue eyes and when she smiles they light up her whole face. I will always remember that smile.” Andrew paid tribute to his mother, hailing her “knowledge and wisdom as infinite, without boundaries or limitations”, adding: “I will miss your insights, advice and humour.” In a statement, he described the Queen as “Mummy, Mother, Majesty, three in one” and said it was an “honour and a privilege” to serve her.
