Details of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II appeared

In the UK, preparations are underway for the last farewell to Queen Elizabeth II. After a record reign, the head of the United Kingdom passed away on Thursday at her residence, Balmoral, in Scotland. Her son, King Charles III, has asked for a period of royal mourning from Friday, September 9, until seven days after the Queen’s funeral, according to a statement from Buckingham Palace.

A date for the funeral will be confirmed “in due course,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

Preparations are underway to send the Queen’s body to London. The coffin will first leave Balmoral, the Queen’s Scottish country residence, and travel to Holyroodhouse Palace in Edinburgh, which is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland.

The coffin will then likely be sent in procession to Edinburgh’s St Giles’ Cathedral, where the late Queen will rest before being transported to London. As CNN notes, it is not yet known exactly how the coffin will travel to the south of the United Kingdom: routes are available both by rail and by air.

Historical precedent suggests that upon arrival in London, the Queen’s coffin would likely be placed in Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the Palace of Westminster.

The coffins of past monarchs rested on a raised platform – or hearse – in the middle of the hall, guarded around the clock by detachments of the Sovereign’s Bodyguards, the Foot Guards or the Horse Regiment of the Court Cavalry.

Copper plaques in the 11th-century hall mark the spot where the body of Edward VII in 1910, George V in 1936, George VI in 1952 and Queen Mary a year later lay. The hall, which is over 1,000 years old, is also where the coffin of Prime Minister Winston Churchill was displayed in 1965.

The Queen Mother was the last deceased member of the royal family to lay solemnly in this hall (and only the second royal consort to be so honored) in 2002. On this occasion, her grandchildren – Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and Viscount Linley – took part in the guard duty, in what is unofficially called the “Princes’ Vigil”.

The sons of King George V also stood on the guard of honor. The palace has not yet confirmed who can participate in the guard at the Queen’s coffin.

The coffin will probably remain there for several days, at which point members of the public will be able to walk past the platform and pay tribute to the memory of Elizabeth II at the monarch’s coffin. Thousands of people are expected to line up, and some may wait all night to pay their respects.

As a monarch, Queen Elizabeth will automatically be given a publicly funded state funeral. They will take place at Westminster Abbey sometime in the next two weeks, although the exact date will be confirmed in due course.

The abbey was founded in 960 by Benedictine monks and is one of London’s most recognizable landmarks. Over the years it has often become the venue for important royal events such as coronations, weddings and funerals.

The guest list is still a few days away, but heads of state and dignitaries from around the world are likely to travel to the British capital. Former British Prime Ministers and senior Queen’s legislators are expected to attend.

Members of the British royal family who hold a high military rank, spouse of the sovereign and heir to the throne, instead of a state funeral, can usually count on a ceremonial royal funeral, as was the case with the funeral of Elizabeth II’s husband Prince Philip in April 2021.

According to a 2013 House of Commons briefing note, the main differences between state and ceremonial funerals are that state funerals require the approval of Parliament and that the casket carriage is drawn by Royal Navy sailors rather than horses.

The tradition of using sailors in a sad ceremony began at the state funeral of Queen Victoria in January 1901. According to the royal family’s official website: “The horses that were supposed to pull the gun carriage became restless in the cold and behaved dangerously, so … a team of sailors took on the task of bringing the gun carriage to St. George’s Chapel.”

A handful of non-sovereigns have been honored with a state funeral in Britain, including Isaac Newton, Horatio Nelson, the first Duke of Wellington and, of course, Churchill.

After Churchill’s death in 1965, it was Queen Elizabeth II who submitted a note to Parliament stating that this wartime premier “had served his country flawlessly for over 50 years and, in our hours of greatest danger, was an inspiring leader who strengthened and sustained us all.”

After the queen’s memorial service, her coffin will make its last journey from London to Windsor. His destination is the now familiar St George’s Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle.

It was there that the memorial service for Prince Philip was held, as well as more solemn events, such as the wedding of the Queen’s grandchildren.

After the funeral service for the Duke of Edinburgh in 2021, his coffin was lowered into the Royal Crypt, installed under the chapel, where many members of the royal family are buried. However, after the Queen’s death, it is expected that the coffin containing her husband’s remains will be moved and the couple will be reunited to rest together in the King George VI Memorial Chapel elsewhere in St George’s Church.