The funeral, at Westminster Abbey in London, is scheduled to begin at 6 a.m. ET. At 10:30 p.m. local time, the mourners’ queue was closed to new entrants so that all mourners had a chance to pay their respects before the funeral began. The funeral will be conducted by Reverend Dr. David Hoyle, the Dean of Westminster, and the sermon to be delivered by the Most Reverend Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Buckingham Palace said. It will also be interspersed with many scripture readings, hymns and prayers. Around 500 members of the royal family, heads of state and heads of government from around the world have been invited. President Biden arrived in London on Saturday ahead of the funeral. From left, Princess Charlotte, Prince George and Prince William attend the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, in London, Sunday, June 5, 2022, the last of four days of celebrations to mark the Platinum Jubilee. Chris Jackson / AP The funeral procession will include King Charles III walking alongside his wife, Camilla, Queen Consort. followed by Anne, the Princess Royal and her husband, Vice-Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence. They will be followed by Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and then Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and Forfar and his wife, Sophie. Behind the Queen’s children will be Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, and then two of their children, 9-year-old Prince George and 7-year-old Princess Charlotte. William and Catherine’s youngest son, 4-year-old Prince Louis, is not on the service list and will likely not attend the funeral. Behind them will be Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, followed by Queen Elizabeth’s nephew David Armstrong-Jones, Earl of Snowden and Peter Phillips. They will be followed by the Duke of Gloucester and then Prince Michael of Kent and the Duke of Kent. Queen Elizabeth’s other four grandchildren — Zara Tindall, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn — were not in the line of service. All eight grandchildren Saturday stood behind her casket. Before the service, the abbey’s tenor bell will be rung once a minute for 96 minutes to mark each year of the Queen’s life. As the Queen’s coffin is carried into the abbey, the choirs of the abbey, the Chapel Royal and St. James’s Palace will sing “The Sentences” – verses from the Bible. Hoyle will deliver ‘The Bidding’, a sort of introduction, followed by a hymn and ‘The First Lesson’, another piece of scripture, which will be read by Patricia Scotland, the secretary general of the Commonwealth. The abbey choir will sing Psalm 42 and then the ‘Second Lesson’, another piece of scripture, will be read by newly appointed British Prime Minister Elizabeth Truss. Welby will then deliver the sermon. The abbey choir will sing two more songs, there will be a prayer and then the funeral service will close with Welby giving the eulogy and Hoyle giving the benediction. The Queen’s coffin will then be carried from the abbey and carried in procession to Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner, before being taken to St. Mary’s Chapel. The Queen will be laid to rest at Windsor Castle on Monday night in a private family ceremony. Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in the history of the British monarchy, died on September 8. The United Kingdom has not buried its sovereign since the Queen’s father, King George VI, in 1952, which was held at St George’s Chapel. Many people wait at a crossroads outside the Palace of Westminster to catch a glimpse of the arriving state guests who want to visit the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall. Christian Charisius/image alliance/Getty Images The more than 1,000-year-old abbey has been the setting for royal coronations for hundreds of years, including that of the Queen herself in 1953, and is also where she married Prince Philip in 1947. The funeral of Queen Elizabeth II’s mother took place there in 2002 , but there hasn’t been a funeral for a monarch there since the 18th century. Meanwhile, King Charles III released a statement on Sunday thanking “those countless people who have been such a support and comfort to my family and myself in this time of grief.” “Over the past ten 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,” the statement said. More
