The Queen during her Platinum Jubilee celebrationsQueen Elizabeth II’s death marks the end of an era, especially as most people have never known another monarch until now.
Her funeral will not be held until next week because a certain list of procedures and ceremonies have to be followed, while her successor, King Charles III, needs to carry out his own list of duties before formally saying goodbye to his mother.
Here’s a rundown of what to expect over the next week.
Monday, September 12
King Charles III will start his tour of the country in London by visiting Westminster Hall, where the House of Commons and the House of Lords will express their condolences to him.
The new monarch will make an address there too.
Along with his wife, Camilla, Queen Consort, he will then fly to Edinburgh so he can walk behind the Queen’s coffin as it travels from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles’ Cathedral via the Royal Mile.
When the Queen’s coffin arrives in Edinburgh, it will lay at rest. The public can view her coffin and pay their respects at the cathedral from 5pm, following a two-hour service to honour her life.
Charles will then arrive at the Palace of Holyroodhouse where he will meet with Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, before he and his wife attend the Scottish Parliament for a motion of condolence from the members.
Afterwards, the King will hold a vigil at the Scottish cathedral along with his family members, called the Vigil of the Princes.
The Queen coffin being transferred from Balmoral to Edinburgh over the weekendTuesday, September 13
The King and Queen consort Camilla will visit Belfast to meet the Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris, party leaders and religious leaders in the region. The pair will attend a prayer service at St Anne’s Cathedral, too.
During this time, the Queen’s body will be moved from the cathedral to Edinburgh airport, where it will be flown to London by the RAF Northolt. Her coffin will be accompanied by her daughter Princess Anne.
It’s expected to arrive just before 7pm and then travel to Buckingham Palace, the Queen’s primary place of residence, where the King and his wife will be there to greet it.
Wednesday, September 14
The coffin will move from Buckingham Palace to the 11th Century building of Westminster Hall – a journey the public will be able to watch – where it will lie in state for four days.
Before this journey begins, the Imperial State Crown will be placed on top of the coffin. It will be transported by a gun carrier of The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artiller and the King and his relatives will walk behind the hearse for 38 minutes.
The coffin will then be put on a platform for the general public to come and say their final goodbyes before the funeral ceremony, and each corner of it will be guarded for 24 hours a day.
The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby will conduct a short service, attended by the royal family.
From 5pm on Wednesday, the public can come and pay their respects to the late monarch. The hall will be open for 24 hours, until 6.30am on Monday, September 19 – queues could stretch on for 20 hours.
This will be the first of four days the Queen will lie in state.
Thursday, September 15
The Queen’s body will lie in state.
King Charles and Camilla will travel to Wales to conclude his tour of the UK.
Friday, September 16
The Queen’s body will lie in state.
Saturday, September 17
The Queen’s body will lie in state.
Sunday, September 18
The last day for the Queen’s body to lie in state.
Monday, September 19
The funeral marks the end of the Queen’s lying in state, and the coffin will go to Westminster Abbey in a procession for the state funeral.
It will be a Bank Holiday in the UK.
Her family will attend, as will senior UK politicians and heads of state from around the world and key representatives from the charities she supported.
After that, the coffin will go to Wellington Arch, where it will go to Windsor.
The state hearse will take the coffin along the Long Walk to St George’s Chapel in Windsor Chapel, where a committal service will take place.
She will be buried next to her husband, Prince Philip.
