LONDON — Mourners in their thousands will be able to file past the coffin of Britain’s late Queen Elizabeth in a round-the-clock lying-in-state from Wednesday evening to early on the day of her funeral.
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to pay their respects to Britain’s longest-reigning monarch ahead of her state funeral on Sept. 19, which will be attended by world leaders.
The ministry said members of the public would be able to file past the coffin for 24 hours a day from 5 p.m. local time (1600 GMT) on Wednesday Sept. 14 until 6:30 a.m. on Sept. 19.
“Those wishing to attend will be required to queue for many hours, possibly overnight,” Britain’s culture ministry said.
“Large crowds are expected and people are encouraged to check ahead, plan accordingly and be prepared for long wait times,” it added on Monday.
Airport-style security checks will take place at Westminster Hall, the oldest of the buildings that make up Britain’s parliament, and tight restrictions will be in force with only small bags permitted.
The lying-in-state will be preceded by a ceremonial procession through central London to carry the queen’s coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall on Wednesday.
Elizabeth died on Sept. 8 at Balmoral Castle in the Scottish Highlands and her coffin was driven to Edinburgh on Sunday. It is due to be flown to London on Tuesday. — Reuters
Plans for the run-up to Queen Elizabeth’s funeral
LONDON — The funeral of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, who died on Thursday aged 96, will take place on Sept. 19 and her body will lie in state for four days prior to that, royal officials announced on Saturday.
Here are details about events in the run-up to the funeral as provided so far by Buckingham Palace and other royal officials.
MONDAY
King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, will travel to Edinburgh from London.
At 2:35 p.m. (1335 GMT) the coffin will be taken in a procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles’ Cathedral on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile with the king and royal family members following on foot.
The Crown of Scotland will be placed onto the coffin as it is carried inside for a short service.
The king and other royals will hold a vigil at 7:20 p.m. (1820 GMT) and the coffin will remain there for about 24 hours.
TUESDAY
At 5 p.m. (1600 GMT) there will be short prayers at St Giles’ before the coffin is taken to Edinburgh Airport to be flown to London, accompanied by Elizabeth’s daughter Anne, arriving at 8 p.m. (1900 GMT).
It will be taken by state hearse to Buckingham Palace and placed in the Bow Room.
WEDNESDAY
At 2:22 p.m. (1322 GMT), the coffin will be placed on a gun carriage and taken to the Palace of Westminster. The king and other members of the royal family will walk in silence behind.
During the procession, Minute Guns will be fired at Hyde Park and Westminster’s famous Big Ben bell will toll. It will arrive at Westminster Hall at 3 p.m. (1400 GMT) and be placed on a Catafalque with a short service, conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The body will lie in state for four days until the day of the funeral.
MONDAY, SEPT. 19
At 10:44 a.m. (0944 GMT), the coffin will be taken in a procession from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey for the state funeral.
After the funeral, the coffin will be taken in a procession to Wellington Arch and then to Windsor Castle, about 20 miles (32 km) west of London. Windsor is the oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world and has been the family home of kings and queens for almost 1,000 years.
The hearse will travel via the Long Walk to St George’s Chapel for a committal service. There it is expected to be lowered into the royal vault and interred in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, in the North Nave Aisle where the queen’s parents and sister are buried.
The coffin of Prince Philip, the queen’s husband of 73 years who died in April 2021, is expected to be moved from the royal vault at Windsor to be buried alongside his wife. — Reuters