(Comments)
Skip to main contentSkip to navigation
The Guardian - Back to homeThe Guardian: news website of the year
Contribute
Sign in
News
Opinion
Sport
Culture
Lifestyle
Show More
Make a contribution
Subscribe
Search jobs
Holidays
Digital Archive
Guardian Puzzles app
Guardian content licensing site
The Guardian app
Video
Podcasts
Pictures
Newsletters
Today's paper
Inside the Guardian
The Observer
Guardian Weekly
Crosswords
UKUK politicsEducationMediaSocietyLawScotlandWalesNorthern Ireland
More
The Queen
Explainer
The Queen’s funeral: what we can expect over the next 10 days
The coffin of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, passes into Whitehall from Horse Guards in 2002.
From the time of the official announcement to the Queen’s state funeral, here is the detailed countdown of events
Death of Queen Elizabeth: latest updates
Caroline Davies
Thu 8 Sep 2022 20.41 BST
The official announcement from Buckingham Palace will have been preceded by a “call cascade”, with the prime minister informed personally by the Queen’s private secretary, and the news passed through to the cabinet secretary and privy council office, which coordinates government work on behalf of the monarch. Only then will the “official notification” have been made to the public.
Flags across the royal residences, Whitehall and other government buildings were lowered to half-mast, with the royal family’s website changed to a black holding page with a short statement announcing the Queen’s death. Government websites also changed to show a black banner.
Guardian Design
'London Bridge is down': the secret plan for the days after the Queen’s death
Read more
The prime minister was the first member of government to make a statement.
At Buckingham Palace, the tradition is to fix the framed formal announcement of the death to the railings. Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral will toll their bells at a set time after the monarch’s death.
On the first day of mourning, ceremonial gun salutes are expected at Hyde Park and at Tower Hill, and a national minute’s silence is expected to be held.
King Charles would be expected to conduct his first audience with the prime minister. He will also meet the Earl Marshal to officially sign off on the full funeral plans, with the state funeral expected to be held in 10 days’ time. Charles will give a broadcast to the country and the Commonwealth later this week.
The death gun salute will be fired at Tower Hill.
The death gun salute will be fired at Tower Hill. Photograph: Chris Jackson/Getty
The Accession Council, which includes senior government figures and privy counsellors, is then expected to meet at St James’s Palace on Saturday for the principal proclamation of the new king, which is read out in public from a balcony at St James’s Palace.
A further proclamation will be read at the Royal Exchange in the City of London. The new king will have audiences with the prime minister and cabinet, the leader of the opposition, the archbishop of Canterbury and the dean of Westminster.
Tributes will be paid in parliament. Flags will be at full mast for the Accession Council and remain at full mast for 24 hours, before returning to half-mast until the day after the funeral.
The coffin is then expected to leave from Balmoral to be taken by road to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. There will be proclamations in the devolved nations at Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast and tributes in parliament are likely to continue.
The Welsh flag flies at half mast from Cardiff Castle.
The Welsh flag flies at half mast from Cardiff Castle. Photograph: Matthew Horwood/Getty
There will be a ceremonial procession from Holyrood along the Royal Mile to St Giles’ Cathedral for a service attended by members of the royal family. After that service, St Giles’ Cathedral will open to the public for 24 hours for a period of lying at rest, not lying in state because that will take place in London.
The coffin is then expected to be flown to London.
King Charles will visit Northern Ireland, where he is due to receive a message of condolence at Hillsborough Castle and will attend St Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast for a service of prayer and reflection on the life of Queen Elizabeth II.
There will be rehearsals for the procession of the late Queen’s coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall.
The coffin is expected to arrive at Buckingham Palace for a few hours before the big ceremonial planned in London.
In the first big ceremonial event preceding the funeral, the Queen’s coffin will be borne from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall for the beginning of five days lying in state. It is expected the coffin will be borne on a gun carriage. On arrival, there will be a short service.
The lying in state is an opportunity for the public to pay their respects. The coffin will be mounted on a catafalque in the middle of Westminster Hall, which will be open to the public for 23 hours a day.
King Charles will travel to Wales to attend a service at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff, then will visit the Welsh Senedd and receive a motion of condolence. He will have an audience with the Welsh first minister. Commonwealth detachments are then expected to begin arriving in London.
On the eve of the funeral, Charles will welcome foreign royal families attending.
The state funeral will be held at Westminster Abbey. The coffin will be borne from Westminster Hall in a procession to the abbey. There will be two minutes’ silence across the nation. After the one-hour service, a large ceremonial procession will accompany the coffin to Hyde Park, where it will be transferred from gun carriage to state hearse and travel to Windsor. After a procession through Windsor, a committal service will be held at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, during which the coffin will be lowered into the royal vault.
Congratulations on being one of our top readers globally – you've read 56 articles in the last year
Article count
on
… as you’re joining us today from Poland, we have a small favour to ask. Tens of millions have placed their trust in the Guardian’s fearless journalism since we started publishing 200 years ago, turning to us in moments of crisis, uncertainty, solidarity and hope. More than 1.5 million supporters, from 180 countries, now power us financially – keeping us open to all, and fiercely independent.
Unlike many others, the Guardian has no shareholders and no billionaire owner. Just the determination and passion to deliver high-impact global reporting, always free from commercial or political influence. Reporting like this is vital for democracy, for fairness and to demand better from the powerful.
And we provide all this for free, for everyone to read. We do this because we believe in information equality. Greater numbers of people can keep track of the events shaping our world, understand their impact on people and communities, and become inspired to take meaningful action. Millions can benefit from open access to quality, truthful news, regardless of their ability to pay for it.
Every contribution, however big or small, powers our journalism and sustains our future. Support the Guardian from as little as €1 – it only takes a minute. If you can, please consider supporting us with a regular amount each month. Thank you.
Contribution frequency
Single
Monthly
Annual
Contribution amount
€10 per month
€15 per month
Other
Continue
Remind me in October
Accepted payment methods: Visa, Mastercard, American Express and PayPal
Topics
The Queen
Monarchy
explainers
Reuse this content
LiveDeath of Queen Elizabeth II: King Charles III to meet Liz Truss and address the nation – latest news
14m ago
Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, dies aged 96
8h ago
Queen Elizabeth II obituary
10h ago
0
King Charles III becomes monarch after death of mother, Queen Elizabeth II
11h ago
King Charles pays tribute to his ‘beloved mother’
10h ago
Whispers, hours of uncertainty – then news of the death of the Queen
9h ago
Operation Unicorn: what happens after the Queen’s death in Scotland?
12h ago
The life of Queen Elizabeth II – a timeline
10h ago
Most viewed
UKUK politicsEducationMediaSocietyLawScotlandWalesNorthern Ireland
News
Opinion
Sport
Culture
Lifestyle
Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning
Sign up for our email
Contact us
Complaints & corrections
SecureDrop
Work for us
Privacy settings
Privacy policy
Cookie policy
Terms & conditions
Help
All topics
All writers
Digital newspaper archive
YouTube
Newsletters
Advertise with us
Search UK jobs
Back to top
© 2022 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. (modern)
Share on Twitter Share on FacebookUnbelievable! Its comfort actually!
read moreAs time went by, this blog was developed for many different purposes. Last time, I had a lot of pleasure in sharing some of my Lego-related hobbies. However, I will mostly upload a blog about bikes and their development in the next few months! Recently, I have so much into ebike cargo. They say this type of bike can replace the car! And I am very into it since my place is crowded with traffic jams! The video above showed a funny situation: I started the review from Brooks's handle! And after nine years! It's still an excellent bike handle and not even destroyed!
read moreKeep Watching
Hi, hi, hi. So, it's been a while for the last couple of weeks since I have considered buying a cargo bike. The reason is that I am often trapped in a traffic jam because I can't get faster in my car.
read moreIndonesia has launched Southeast Asia’s first-ever bullet train, a high-speed rail line connecting two of its largest cities.
Congrats! Indonesia launched Southeast Asia’s first bullet train.
Custom LEGO Transformers Devastator
My faith in humanity is restored! OK, that’s a bit overboard – but you couldn’t blame me if you see an incredibly, exquisitely and wonderfully executed custom LEGO Transformers Devastator such as this by Alex Jones. I feel transported to the 80’s once again, with the same intense childhood wonder when I first saw the Constructicons combine and become the formidable Devastator.
Collaboratively administrate empowered markets via plug-and-play networks. Dynamically procrastinate B2C users after installed base benefits. Dramatically visualize customer directed convergence without
Comments