6.30 am – The queen’s sunbed will end
Lying in state, in which the Queen’s closed coffin is on public display at Westminster Hall from Wednesday, will come to an end.
8 a.m. – Westminster Abbey opens
Westminster Abbey will open for the congregation attending the Queen’s funeral. The funeral, which will be one of the biggest gatherings of heads of state and royalty the UK has hosted in decades, will include European royals and world leaders.
10.30 – The Queen’s coffin is taken to the Abbey
The coffin will be carried by carriage from Westminster Hall to the Abbey, towed by 142 Royal Navy sailors. King Charles III, along with members of the royal family as well as members of the royal household, will follow the coffin.
10.52 – The procession arrives at Westminster Abbey
The procession will arrive at the West Gate of Westminster Abbey, and the pallbearer’s party, consisting of members of the Queen’s guard, will carry the coffin from the carriage.
11:00 – Start of operation
The service, which will be led by the Dean of Westminster, Dr David Hoyle, will begin. The homily will be delivered by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
11.55 The last post
The last post will be played and a two minute silence will follow.
Noon – The State funeral ends
The national anthem will be played, bringing the state funeral to a close. The coffin will then be transferred to the state carriage.
12:15 p.m. – Casket procession to Wellington Arch
The procession, led by the King, will consist of several groups, each accompanied by a service band. These teams include representatives from the NHS, members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as well as detachments from the Commonwealth Armed Forces. Guns will be fired every minute in Hyde Park by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, while Big Ben will chime every minute as the procession winds its way through the streets.
13:00 – The coffin is placed in the state hearse
The procession will arrive at Wellington Arch and the pallbearer will carry the coffin to the hearse before the car leaves for Windsor. A royal salute will also follow, and the national anthem will be played.
15.06 – Arrival in Windsor
The hearse will arrive in Windsor and take part in a procession up the Long Walk at Windsor Castle. She will be joined by the King and members of the royal family before moving to St George’s Chapel for the ceremony.
4 p.m. – The engagement service begins
The ceremony begins at St George’s Chapel, attended by around 800 people, including the King, the Royal Family, Commonwealth leaders, governors-general and mourners from the Queen’s past and present, including personal staff from all of her private estates. It will be conducted by the Dean of Windsor with the blessing of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Queen’s coffin will then be lowered into the royal vault.
19.30 – Private burial
A private service conducted by the Dean of Windsor, attended only by the King and the Royal Family. The Queen’s coffin will be laid to rest in St George’s Chapel, alongside Prince Philip and her parents, King George VI and the Queen Mother. Updated at 08.51 BST Important events Show only key events Please enable JavaScript to use this feature Peter Walker Some of the 2,000 guests for the funeral have started to arrive, still two hours before it is due to start. A coach has pulled out, carrying a number of MPs and other dignitaries Picture: Peter Walker/The Guardian A coach has pulled out, carrying a number of MPs and other dignitaries, including Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer. Most of the guests are brought by the coach – but not, of course, US President Joe Biden. The London Stock Exchange (LSE) was closed for trading today to mark the Queen’s death. London’s markets, including the FTSE 100 and related indices, have been trading daily since the Queen’s death. Lisa O’Carroll The Guardian’s senior reporter Lisa O’Carroll is in Belfast, where big screens have been set up to show the Queen’s funeral at Westminster Abbey. Emily Duggan A select few from the crowd at the mall have been allowed to cross over to Constitution Hill just outside the palace. “It’s like getting a box at Wembley!” Tristan Bassein-Boucher, 12, told his brother Jack, 24, as they sped past. They left Bury St Edmonds in Suffolk on Sunday night to stay with family in east London and were on the Tube just after 5am to get a decent view. A select few from the crowd at the mall have been allowed to cross over to Constitution Hill just outside the palace. “It’s like getting a box at Wembley!” said Tristan Bassein-Boucher, 12, as he ran. pic.twitter.com/fiU1FNL3kT — Emily Dugan (@emilydugan) September 19, 2022 Those who seek a front seat in history are not all royals. The brothers’ mum Jessica Bowden, 53, who works as an NHS executive, said: I’m not a monarchist, but I really liked the Queen, and so did my mum and grandma. Both are no longer here, so I wanted to go to them. Visitors have arrived at Westminster Abbey ahead of the funeral, which starts at 11am. BST. Guests at Westminster Abbey ahead of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. Photo: Sky NewsFuneral visitors walk past the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey. Photo: Sky News Visitors queue outside Westminster Abbey. Photo: Sky News Crowds of people across the country observed a minute’s silence the night before Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. A minute’s silence was observed for Queen Elizabeth II before the queue of mourners closed – video The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has called on people to pray for the royal family as they gather today for the Queen’s funeral. Let us pray for the Royal Family as they gather today to commit Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II into the hands of our loving and faithful God. We gather to give thanks for a long life, lived in the service of her people and her Savior, Jesus Christ. — Archbishop of Canterbury (@JustinWelby) September 19, 2022 Updated at 08.34 BST
Westminster Abbey opens
The Abbey was opened for the congregation attending the Queen’s funeral. The King’s Guard marched through the gates of the Abbey, with two soldiers stationed at the metal gates waiting for the proceedings to begin. Soldiers in uniform enter Westminster Abbey. Photo: Hannah McKay/Reuters The funeral, which will be one of the biggest gatherings of heads of state and royalty the UK has hosted in decades, will include European royals and world leaders. Officials began arriving at the Royal Hospital Chelsea in diplomatic cars with tinted windows just after 7.30am. Emily Duggan Outside Buckingham Palace, super fans who have camped out for days are desperately trying to keep their front row seats. Barricades kept people away from the area just outside the palace, but by dawn the mall was already packed with people. Cara Jennings, 52, from Munster in Kent, was wrapped in a blanket after her fifth night camping in Green Park. Cara Jennings, 52, from Minster in Kent camped out for five nights to get a good view of The Mall. She jealously guards her position at the front of the railings. pic.twitter.com/mAHh5inlNf — Emily Dugan (@emilydugan) September 19, 2022 With her mobility scooter parked next to her pop-up blue tent, she tried to save her seat in the front row of the railing at The Mall. “I just wanted to find a perfect place to pay my respects to a wonderful woman,” he said. “People are really trying to push now.” Jennings said her grandmother and great-grandmother worked for the Queen as cleaners and her five children thought it was “brilliant” that she made the pilgrimage. Not everyone who wakes up at this hour is a die-hard fan. Antonis Manvelidis, 24, and Jess Nash, 24, have hit The Mall on their fourth date. Leaning against a tree as the sun rose, they said they had walked from Nash’s flat in Pimlico, south-west London, at 4am to be there. “I forced him to come,” said Nash, who works at a tech startup. “We just wanted to see and be with the UK and be part of the atmosphere.” Not everyone who got here before dawn is a die-hard fan. Antonis Manvelidis, 24, and Jess Nash, 24, have hit The Mall on their fourth date. pic.twitter.com/Vy9nU3Bhll — Emily Dugan (@emilydugan) September 19, 2022 Erica Butler, 50, a construction worker from Darlington, arrived here on Sunday night to wait. Dressed in uniform with a chest full of service medals for work in Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan, she retired from the army in 2017 after 24 years of service as a driver. His reasons for being here are simple: “I want to say goodbye to the boss,” he said. She is one of a group of veterans in prime position atop the nearest Buckingham Palace on The Mall. Geoffrey York, 68, from Wellington, Surrey, was a corporal in the Blues and Royals Household Cavalry. He has been at the palace since Friday night. “This is the first thing like this I’ve ever done. All we have known is the Queen.” Updated 08.02 BST Peter Walker Peter Walker, the Guardian’s political correspondent, is now outside Westminster Abbey: One of the elements of the funeral arrangements that I hadn’t fully realized before I got here is how the public is, for the most part, kept well away from the funeral site, perhaps inevitable given the sheer number of world leaders and heads of state involved. Parliament Square is empty, but crowds are allowed at the edge, next to the junction with Whitehall. The rest is empty but for safety, with the square itself being dusted with sand to facilitate the passage of the carriage carrying the coffin. Even parliamentary staff and journalists have been told to stay away from the estate this morning. The main means for people to…
