'D+10 Day': How will Elizabeth II's state funeral take place?

• Charlotte Davies

  @lottiedavies29

• A. MATILLA, J. AGUIRRE, JC SÁNCHEZ AND E. AMADE (GRAPHICS)

Updated Monday, September 19, 2022-01:57

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• United Kingdom Carlos III receives 500 heads of state and foreign dignitaries before the funeral of Elizabeth II

"London Bridge has fallen."

With these five words, the news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II was made known to the world last Thursday at the age of 96, which began a period of 10 days of national mourning that has left no room for improvisation.

From Balmoral Castle to Buckingham Palace, the late monarch's coffin has traveled the streets of the United Kingdom before resting for four days in the funeral chapel in Westminster.

Today Monday, D-Day + 10, she will make her last trip to Windsor following her State Funeral, where she will be buried alongside the remains of her husband, Philip of Edinburgh.

Elizabeth II's funeral will take place at 11 a.m. local time in Westminster Abbey, the historic church where all British kings and queens have been crowned since 1066. Many will remember her for the funeral of Diana of Wales, which was held there in September 1997, or the Queen Mother's in April 2002. However, the last burial of a monarch to be held at the abbey was that of King George II in 1760.

The church in which he was married in 1947 and where his coronation took place in 1953, the abbey has been "witness to the promises that defined the life of Queen Elizabeth II".

In what was his "spiritual" house, "thanks be to God for the service he rendered to God, to the nation and to the Commonwealth", according to the dean of Westminster, David Hoyle, in a statement last Saturday.

About 2,000 people are expected to attend the funeral, including around 500 heads of state and foreign dignitaries, including the King and Queen of Spain and emeritus.

From the Westminster Hall to the Abbey

Since Wednesday afternoon, the remains of the monarch have remained in a catafalque located in the Westminster Room, of the palace with the same name, open to the public 24 hours a day.

However, the doors of the funeral chapel will be closed on Monday at 6:30 a.m. to prepare for the funeral.

The doors to Westminster Abbey will open at 8:00 a.m. so attendees can take a seat.

Shortly after 10.35am, the coffin will be raised from the catafalque and a group of 142 sailors will carry it in procession to the Royal Navy

, located opposite the north door of the hall.

This is a car that has previously been used for the funerals of Queen Victoria, King George VI and Winston Churchill, among others.

The carriage will leave at 10.44am from Westminster Hall for the west entrance of the abbey, where it is scheduled to arrive at 10.52am.

The most important members of the Royal Family, including King Charles III and his sons, Princes William and Harry, will follow the bandwagon.

The tour will be flanked by members of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, and in Parliament Square there will be a guard of honor made up of the country's three military services.

the funeral ceremony

The state funeral of Elizabeth II will begin at 11.00.

The Mass will be led by the Dean of Westminster, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, will deliver the sermon.

During the ceremony, Prime Minister Liz Truss and the Secretary General of the Commonwealth will deliver lectures.

Before the end of the mass, which is scheduled for 11.55, the

will be played , a brief bugle call.

Right after, a two-minute national silence will be observed.

The national anthem and a lament played by the Queen's piper will bring the funeral service to a close at approximately 12:00.

Procession to Wellington Arch

At around 12.15pm, the coffin will be returned to the gun carriage by the bearer group, which will be carried in a foot procession from the abbey to Wellington Arch on Hyde Park Corner.

Big Ben will chime at minute intervals as the procession slowly makes its way through the streets of the capital.

Salutes will also be fired every minute from Hyde Park.

The procession will arrive at the arch at 13.00.

The coffin will be transferred to the hearse for its final journey to Windsor Castle.

As the hearse departs, the parade will give a royal salute and the national anthem will be played.

Just after 3 p.m., the car is expected to arrive for a foot procession along the

, a three-mile path that leads to the castle.

She will be joined by the King and other members of the Royal Family at 3:40 p.m.

The bells of Sebastopol and

will ring .

The procession will stop at the bottom of the west steps of St. George's Chapel at 3:53 p.m.

Burial at Windsor

At 4:00 p.m., the coffin will enter the Chapel of San Jorge for a last religious service before Elizabeth II is buried.

This church is the one that the Royal Family usually chooses to celebrate weddings, baptisms and funerals.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, were married there, and the funeral of the queen's late husband, Prince Philip, was held.

Some 800 people, including members of the Queen's household and staff from the Windsor estate, will attend the service, which will include traditions symbolizing the end of Elizabeth II's reign.

Before the final anthem, the Imperial State Crown jewel case, orb and Sovereign's scepter will be removed from the top of the coffin, separating the monarch from her crown for the last time.

The queen's titles will be recited.

The king will then place the color of the queen's company, or flag, of the Grenadier Guards on the coffin.

At the same time, the Lord Chamberlain, former head of MI5, Baron Parker, will "break" his staff and place it on the coffin.

The snapping of the white cane will signal the end of his service to the Sovereign as her highest-ranking official in the Royal House.

As the dean of Windsor reads a psalm, the casket will be lowered into the Royal Vault, thanks to an electric motor set in a slab of marble in the Choir, where the seats are located.

The Sovereign's piper will play a lament, before the Archbishop of Canterbury pronounces a blessing and "God save the King" is sung.

The piper's performance at Windsor was something the queen had personally requested, Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

At 7:30 p.m., a third private burial service will be held by the family.

She will move the coffin along with that of her late husband to the King George VI Memorial Chapel, where the remains of the King and Queen Mother, and the ashes of her sister, Princess Margaret, are held.

The soil to be sprinkled over the coffin will have been collected from the royal mausoleum at Frogmore, a private family park adjacent to the castle.

Her tombstone will bear the engraving ELIZABETH II 1926-2022.

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Know more

• United Kingdom

• Elizabeth II of England

• King Charles III of England

• London