The entire world will be watching. Queen Elizabeth II will be laid to rest alongside her late husband, Prince Philip, in St George’s Chapel during her funeral on Monday, September 19.
Residents of the United States will be able watch live coverage on NBC, CNN and ABC as they live-broadcast the historic event. The funeral will start at 6 a.m. ET after a procession of the queen’s coffin from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey, which is set to begin at 5:44 a.m. ET.
According to NPR, 750,000 people are expected visit London to pay their respects and to honour the longest-reigning monarch of Britain. Buckingham Palace announced the news of the queen’s death at age 96 in a statement on September 8.
“The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow,” the statement read. King Charles III immediately assumed his rightful place as sovereign upon his mother’s passing.
Prince WilliamHe is now the first to be in line for throne. He is followed by his three kids with Princess Kate — Prince George, 9, Prince Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 4. His brother, Prince Harry, is now fifth in line of succession.
Her Majesty will receive a state funeral unlike her husband, who died in April 2021, at the age of 99. According to a source, the news was announced at the time. Us Weekly that the royals opted not to have a large ceremony commemorating the Duke of Edinburgh as they didn’t “want his death to have a negative impact on the U.K.’s [COVID-19] pandemic protocols.” A more private service was held at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle instead.
Philip and Elizabeth were married for more than 70 year when he died. They shared four children — Charles, 73, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew Prince Edward — along with eight grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
A two-minute national moment of silence will be given to the queen, who celebrated her historic Platinum Jubilee earlier in the year. The London Stock Exchange will be closed for the funeral of Charles, who declared a bank holiday as one of his first actions in his new role as King.
The monarch’s coffin will be adorned with items from the royal family’s Crown Jewel collection, including the orb and sceptre, which both date back to Charles II’s coronation in 1661. The orb symbolizes heavenly power while the sceptre represents the monarch’s power in the secular world. Both pieces of regalia are expected to be used at the former Prince of Wales’ eventual official coronation, a date for which the palace has not announced.
Britain’s new monarch paid tribute to his late mother shortly after her passing.
“The death of my beloved mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family,” he wrote in a statement on September 8. “We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.”
