What happens next? Day by day after the death of the Queen
The Queen’s funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey on Monday.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Thousands of people continue to queue to pay their respects to the Queen as the final full day of her lying in state begins and heads of state continue to arrive in London ahead of Monday’s funeral.
Here is a breakdown of what will happen in the coming days.
– Sunday September 18:
Sunday marks the final full day of the lying in state and heads of state will continue to arrive for the funeral.
Irish president Michael D Higgins and Taoiseach Micheal Martin are expected to join the list of heads of state who have signed a book of condolence at Lancaster House.
The King will hold an audience with Prime Minister Liz Truss at Buckingham Palace.
The King and Queen Consort will host heads of state and official overseas guests at the palace, in what the King’s spokesman described as an “official state event”.
A service of reflection for the Queen at the Kelpies sculptures near Falkirk, Scotland, will see 96 lanterns, one for each year of Her Majesty’s life, being lowered into the pool of reflection at the foot of the Queen Elizabeth II Canal, before wreaths are placed into the water.
A pre-recorded tribute to the late monarch by the Queen Consort will be broadcast on the BBC shortly before 8pm.
Members of the public will be invited to observe a one-minute silence at 8pm to remember the Queen.
– Monday September 19:
The lying in state period will end at 6.30am.
There will be a national bank holiday to allow as many people as possible to watch the Queen’s funeral.
The coffin will be taken in a grand military procession from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey for the state funeral at 11am.
Senior members of the family are expected to follow behind, just as they did for the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh.
The military will line the streets and also join the procession. Heads of state, prime ministers and presidents, members of European royal families and key figures from public life will be invited to gather in the abbey, which can hold a congregation of 2,000.
The service will be televised and a national two minutes’ silence will follow the Last Post being sounded at 11.55am.
Reveille, the national anthem and a lament, played by the Queen’s Piper, will bring the state funeral service to an end at approximately noon.
The funeral will be broadcast live at around 125 cinemas and several cathedrals throughout the UK, and on a big screen in Holyrood Park in front of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh.
After the service, at 12:15pm, the coffin will be taken in procession from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch and then travel to Windsor.
The hearse will then travel in procession to St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle via the Long Walk, after which a televised committal service will take place in St George’s Chapel.
Later in the evening, there will be a private interment service with senior members of the royal family.
The Queen’s final resting place will be the King George VI memorial chapel, an annex to the main chapel – where her mother and father were buried, along with the ashes of her sister, Princess Margaret.
Philip’s coffin will move from the Royal Vault to the memorial chapel to join the Queen’s.