Queen Elizabeth’s Funeral: A Timeline of Events for the Historic Day
Queen Elizabeth II‘s state funeral will mark the very first time TV cameras capture the funeral of a British monarch. It’s been 70 years since the death of Elizabeth’s father, King George VI. His funeral procession was televised in 1952 but not the service itself.
For Her Majesty’s final bow, the full day of events will be the culmination of a 10-day mourning period in the United Kingdom after her death on Sept. 8. Here’s how Americans can watch this historic event live on TV or online.
Queen Elizabeth’s coffin will be moved to Westminster Abbey on Monday morning
According to The New York Times, Queen Elizabeth is currently lying in state at Westminster Hall for public viewing. The doors of the hall will close to the public at 6:30 a.m. (London time) on Monday morning in preparation for the coffin to be moved to Westminster Abbey for the funeral service.
Westminster Abbey will open at 8 a.m. (London time) for guests who’ve been invited to the funeral. Filling the 2,000 seats will be foreign dignitaries and heads of state, European royalty, and the majority of the British royal family.
This includes the queen’s four children — King Charles III, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward — along with spouses Camilla, the Queen Consort; Sir Timothy Laurence; and Sophie, Countess of Wessex.
The queen’s grandchildren — Princes William and Harry, Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, Princesses Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, Lady Louise Windsor, and James, Viscount Severn — will all be in attendance. They will be joined by spouses Catherine, Princess of Wales; Meghan Markle; Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi; and Jack Brooksbank.
How to watch the procession and funeral in the United States
When the coffin is moved from Westminster Hall to the abbey, there will be a procession on a route that is lined by members of the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines. A group of 200 musicians — including pipes and drums from the Scottish and Irish Regiments — will lead the procession, which is expected to take less than 10 minutes. King Charles and members of the royal family will follow behind in a carriage.
The dean of Westminster will conduct the queen’s funeral service, which will begin at exactly 11 a.m. London time (6 a.m. Eastern/5 a.m. Central/3 a.m. Pacific) on Sept. 19. The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. Justin Welby will give the sermon. And Prime Minister Liz Truss and secretary general of the Commonwealth Patricia Scotland will provide readings.
At the end of the service, there will be two minutes of silence across Britain. When the service ends at noon (London time), a procession will follow the coffin to Wellington Arch near Hyde Park. Then, Her Majesty’s coffin will be driven to Windsor for burial.
All of these events will be broadcast all over the world. In the United States, news outlets like CNN will carry the service live. The BBC will also be streaming all of the day’s events, beginning with the procession from Westminster Hall, on both their channel and website. In Canada, it will be on CBC. And in Australia, the funeral will air live on ABC.
Queen Elizabeth’s burial will be private
After the coffin is driven to Windsor, the hearse will be part of a new procession to St. George’s Chapel. Then, there will be a committal service with the queen’s staff, past and present. Before the final hymn, the crown jeweler will remove the Imperial State Crown, the orb, and the scepter — which are currently resting on top of the coffin.
Finally, the coffin will be lowered into the royal vault, which is a burial chamber underneath the chapel. The Archbishop of Canterbury will pronounce the blessing, and the congregation will sing “God Save the King.”
“The Queen is to be buried together with The Duke of Edinburgh,” her late husband, Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
The private burial service, conducted by the dean of Windsor, will take place at 7:30 p.m.
