Britain bids farewell to Queen Elizabeth today as her funeral takes place and will be attended by leaders and royals from around the world.
Queen Elizabeth’s funeral is expected to be the largest gathering of leaders in decades.
According to the program that has been made public, at 10 am, the doors of Westminster Abbey will be opened for the heads of state and the rest of the guests, while later, the coffin will be taken to the exit of the British Parliament to be placed on the kilibante.
The ceremony is expected to end at 21.30 where the burial of Queen Elizabeth will take place.
The funeral will be the “largest single police event” ever undertaken by London’s Metropolitan Police, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cuddy told reporters.
“As a single event, it’s bigger than the 2012 Olympics. It’s bigger than the Platinum Jubilee weekend. And the team of officers, police staff and everyone who supports the operation is really huge,” he said.
The funeral at Westminster Abbey and the procession that follows will be broadcast live on the BBC, ITV and Sky networks.
Footage from the procession and funeral will also be shown live in 125 cinemas across Britain, the UK’s Department for Culture announced on Saturday.
The program of the ceremony
At 8:30 a.m. on Monday, the popular pilgrimage that began on Wednesday night ends
10:00 – The doors of Westminster Abbey open for heads of state and other guests
12:35 – The coffin will be taken to the exit of the British Parliament to be placed on the kiliband. According to the protocol it will be accompanied by 142 members of the Royal Navy
12:44 – The procession from the British Parliament to Westminster Abbey will begin
12:52 – The procession will arrive at Westminster Abbey
13:00 – The so-called political function begins in the presence of 2000 guests. Among them heads of state and kings from all over the world
14:00 – The ceremony is completed in Westminster Abbey and the coffin is placed back on the killivan. Two minutes silence will be observed across the UK
14:15 – A new procession to the Wellington Arch begins. (Located next to Hyde Park and behind Buckingham Palace). The procession will pass in front of the palace and make a stop
15:00 – The procession arrives at the arch. The coffin enters the hearse bound for Windsor. (2-hour road trip. A lot of people are expected to be on the right and left of the road)
17:06 – The hearse arrives at the designated point. A procession forms again
17:10 – The procession to Windsor Castle begins
17:40 – King Charles and other members of the royal family enter the procession
17:53 – The procession arrives at St George’s Chapel inside Windsor Castle and the coffin is placed on a plinth
16:00 – The funeral procession begins. Its duration has not been specified. Once completed, the plinth will retreat to the royal crypt. (As happened at Philip’s funeral). The royals will leave and so will the cameras
21:30 – The burial will take place without cameras. Strictly private. Along with Philip’s coffin waiting in the Crypt.
The guest list at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral
It is worth noting that Reuters published the final guest list for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral.
Leaders from the Americas:
Joe Biden and Jill Biden, President and First Lady of the United States
Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
Jair Bolsonaro, President of Brazil
Paula-Mae Weekes, President of Trinidad and Tobago
Sandra Mason, President of Barbados
Andrew Holness, Prime Minister of Jamaica
Floyla Tzalam, Governor General of Belize
Susan Dougan, Governor General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Leaders from Europe and the Middle East:
Emmanuel Macron, President of France
Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of Germany
Sergio Mattarella, President of Italy
Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland
Micheál Martin, Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of Portugal
Alexander Van der Bellen, President of Austria
Katalin Novak, President of Hungary
Andrzej Duda, President of Poland
Egils Levits, President of Latvia
Gitanas Nauseda, President of Lithuania
Sauli Niinisto, President of Finland
Katerina Sakellaropoulou, President of Greece
George Vella, President of Malta
Nikos Anastasiadis, President of Cyprus
Charles Michel, President of the European Council
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
Isaac Herzog, President of Israel
Mohammad Shtayyeh, Palestinian Prime Minister
Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of NATO
The leaders of African countries:
Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa
Yemi Osinbajo, Vice President of Nigeria
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana
Ali Bongo, President of Gabon
The leaders of Asian countries:
Droupadi Murmu, President of India
Wang Qishan, Vice President of China
Ranil Wickremesinghe, President of Sri Lanka
Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh
Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand
Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia
Yoon Suk-yeol, President of South Korea
The countries that were not invited:
Russia
Myanmar
Belarus
Syria
Venezuela
Afghanistan
Royals to attend Elizabeth’s funeral:
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain
Juan Carlos, former King of Spain
King Philip and Queen Mathilde of Belgium
Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Maria
King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden
King Harald V and Queen Sonia of Norway
King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck
Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah
King Abdullah of Jordan
Crown Prince of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah
King of Lesotho, Letsie III
Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein
Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg
Sultan Abdullah of Pahang, Malaysia
Prince Albert II of Monaco
Crown Prince of Morocco, Moulay Hassan
Sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq al-Said
Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani
King of Tonga, Tupou VI
The next day with Charles
After Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, a new chapter in Britain officially opens.
The Guardian in an article talks about the next steps of both the ritual and the possible changes that the new period of Charles’ reign may bring, through questions and answers.
When is the coronation of King Charles III?
When the Queen died, the throne passed immediately to the heir, Charles, her son and former Prince of Wales. He will be officially crowned king at the coronation ceremony, which could take place in the spring or summer of next year.
For the past 900 years – since the time of William the Conqueror – the coronation has taken place in Westminster Abbey.
Unlike royal weddings, the coronation is a state event: the government pays for it and selects the guest list.
What crown will she wear?
The Archbishop of Canterbury will place on Charles’ head the St Edward’s Crown, which dates back to 1661. The iconic crown is made of solid gold and is set with 444 colored gemstones.
The monarch only wears it at the time of coronation, partly because it weighs 2.23 kg.
Can we expect new jewels or other rituals?
Coronations are part of tradition, although King Charles would probably prefer a more modest version compared to Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953.
However, it will still be loaded with jewels. In addition to St Edward’s crown, he will be presented with the coronation ring, nicknamed ‘England’s wedding ring’, which is placed on the fourth finger of the monarch’s right hand.
The ring has been in use since 1831 and is a sapphire ring with rubies in the shape of a cross, representing the cross of St George and the flag of Scotland.
He will also be presented with a scepter dating back to 1661, which has been used at every coronation since then. In 1910, King George V added the Cullinan I diamond, a 3,106-carat stone discovered in South Africa in 1905.
Where will King Charles live?
About 100 staff at Clarence House, where Charles and Camilla lived until the Queen’s death, have been notified they could lose their jobs because she will no longer live there.
While we know King Charles is leaving Clarence House, we don’t know where he’ll be moving to. Queen Elizabeth II had many residences, including Buckingham Palace, Balmoral and Windsor Castle.
There has been no official announcement yet, but it is expected that the new monarch will live in Buckingham Palace, which Charles considers an important symbol of the monarchy.
However, Buckingham Palace is currently undergoing a £369m taxpayer-funded refurbishment which will not be completed until 2027. This could mean that Charles and Camilla will delay their move.