Queen Elizabeth II's funeral: a day-by-day guide from now until September 19

The meticulous plan for life after the late monarch continues until her funeral at Westminster Abbey

Mourners queue to file past Queen Elizabeth II's coffin in Westminster Hall. Getty Images
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Queen Elizabeth II dies — follow the latest news as the world mourns

Britain's military, civil service and police are working together to make sure that Queen Elizabeth II's funeral goes smoothly. Heads of state will attend, including US President Joe Biden and his armoured limousine known as the 'Beast'.

Security services will be under pressure, assisted by police officers drafted in to London from forces across the UK.

On Monday, King Charles III, accompanied by Queen Consort Camilla, visited Parliament in London before flying to Scotland for a service at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh. This was attended by other royals and where the crown of Scotland was rested on the queen’s coffin.

On Tuesday, thousands of people jostled to meet the couple outside Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland, as they exchanged laughs and smiles and received condolences in the sunshine.

On Wednesday, the queen, her coffin draped with the Royal Standard, was moved in a royal procession to Westminster Hall. She will lie in state there and hundreds of thousands of people will file past to pay their last respects before her funeral.

Thursday

The lying-in-state continues and another rehearsal of the state funeral procession takes place. By 10am on Thursday, the queue to view her coffin was about five kilometres long.

King Charles is spending a day of reflection at his 18th-century Highgrove estate near Tetbury, Gloucestershire, which serves as his private home.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate, are going to Sandringham, in Norfolk, to view floral tributes left by the public.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex are travelling to Manchester, where they will light a memorial candle and view the floral tributes left in St Ann's Square.

Anne, the Princess Royal, and her husband Sir Tim Laurence, are visiting Glasgow to meet representatives of organisations of which the queen was patron.

Senior barristers, now known as King's Counsel after the queen’s death, are taking part in a wreath-laying ceremony at Gray's Inn Chapel, near the Old Bailey court complex in central London.

The world's leading insurance market, Lloyd's of London, is sounding the historic Lutine Bell to mark the death of the queen and the reign of Britain's new king.

Friday

King Charles will head to the Welsh capital Cardiff for a service in Llandaff Cathedral. He will also host an audience with Wales’ First Minister Mark Drakeford at Cardiff Castle.

On returning to Buckingham Palace, he will attend a meeting with faith leaders.

The king, Princess Anne, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex will mount a 15-minute vigil around the queen’s coffin as it lies in state at 7.30pm.

Saturday

The security operation will fully come into effect as royals from around the world and leading politicians arrive in London, with some scheduled to have audiences with the king.

He will also visit members of the police and military to thank them for their work, before hosting a reception for foreign dignitaries at Buckingham Palace.

Sunday

The final state funeral rehearsals will take place.

Prime Minister Liz Truss will have an audience with the king. Another reception will be held for heads of state.

The funeral's order of service, chosen by the queen, will be published.

Monday

At 10.44am, Queen Elizabeth's coffin will be moved to Westminster Abbey on a 123-year-old gun carriage.

A team of 98 Royal Navy sailors known as the Sovereign’s Guard — with 40 more sailors marching behind the carriage to act as a brake — will pull the carriage using white ropes.

The king will once again lead his family in marching behind the coffin.

About 200 musicians from the Pipes & Drums of Scottish and Irish Regiments, the Brigade of Gurkhas, and the Royal Air Force will join the procession.

At 11am, Britain will fall silent before the funeral service begins, lasting an hour, finishing with trumpeters playing the Last Post.

Afterwards, the king and his family will walk behind the queen’s coffin to Wellington Arch, near Green Park and a short distance from Buckingham Palace.

The coffin will be driven to Windsor for a committal service in St George’s Chapel at 4pm.

Finally, at 7pm, the queen's closest family will return to the chapel for a private burial service.

Updated: September 06, 2023, 10:28 AM