The event is a logistical challenge which already seems to be the biggest event ever supervised by the London police.
After several days of national mourning, Monday, September 19, the funeral of Elizabeth II will be held at Westminster Abbey, where some 2,000 guests are expected.
This funeral will also be one of the biggest diplomatic gatherings in decades. Here is everything you need to know about this already historic ceremony for the United Kingdom.
A final tribute in Westminster Hall before the funeral at Westminster Abbey
The public will be able to parade until early morning Monday, September 19, in front of the coffin of Elizabeth II, before the state funeral which will take place at 10:00 GMT, the first of its kind since that of Winston Churchill in 1965.
Then, a procession will accompany the coffin to Westminster Abbey where the funeral will be held. Millions of people are expected to follow the event in front of their televisions on this public holiday in the United Kingdom.
Around 10.30 a.m. local (09.30 GMT), porters will therefore transport the royal coffin from its catafalque located in the hall of Westminster to the abbey, thanks to a team mounted on a gun carriage drawn not by horses, but by young sailors with ropes, as is the custom for state funerals.
Members of the royal family – first the four children of Elizabeth II, then Princes William and Harry – will walk behind the coffin to the west door of Westminster Abbey.
It will then be installed on a platform located in the choir. The funeral service will begin at 11 a.m. (10 a.m. GMT). The Dean of Westminster, David Hoyle, will be in charge of the ceremony and the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, spiritual leader of the Anglican Church of which the monarch is the head, will take care of the sermon.
One last trip to Windsor
After the funeral, the coffin will be returned at 12:15 p.m. (11:15 GMT) to the gun carriage and paraded through the British capital, to Wellington’s Arch at Hyde Park Corner.
There it will be loaded into a hearse. Arrived in Windsor, about thirty kilometers away, the hearse will go to the Saint-Georges chapel via the Long Walk, a spectacular alley crossing the estate to the castle, before a ceremony broadcast on television.
After this religious service at 4:00 p.m. (3:00 p.m. GMT) with 800 guests, a final private ceremony will take place in the presence only of close members of the royal family, after which the queen will be buried at 7:30 p.m. GMT.
The King and other members of the Royal Family will take part in a funeral procession to the chapel, where the funeral of Prince Philip, husband of the Queen, took place, as well as the wedding of Prince Harry and the American actress Meghan Markle.
Who is invited?
Some 2,000 guests are expected at the funeral. Among them, several hundred leaders from around the world, crowned heads, but also anonymous people decorated for their associative commitment, will attend the ceremony.
US President Joe Biden, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the Emperor of Japan, and French President Emmanuel Macron are expected. Pope Francis, for his part, announced that he would not go there but would be represented. Several crowned heads have also confirmed their presence, including Prince Albert of Monaco and his wife Charlene, King Philippe of Belgium and his wife Queen Mathilde, King of Spain Felipe VI and Queen Letizia…
Also in attendance will be around 200 people decorated by the Queen in June this year, including carers involved in the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Downing Street said. The leaders of Russia, Afghanistan, Burma, Syria and North Korea were not invited.
It will be the biggest event ever supervised by the London police, said the latter. Even bigger than the Olympic Games which took place in London in 2012. The event represents an unprecedented security challenge for the United Kingdom, which has deployed an impressive system in the capital, with numerous reinforcements from all over country.
Where will the queen rest?
After this last procession, Elizabeth II will be buried privately in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, west London, with her father King George VI, her sister Margaret and her husband Prince Philip. .
The remains of Prince Philip, which rests for the moment in the royal vault, will be moved to the annex of the chapel to join his wife.
Where to watch the funeral?
Several French television channels have announced that they will broadcast the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. This is the case of TF1 which will open its antenna from 6am. On France 2, a special program is scheduled from 10am.
