After a week of remembrance and mourning across the UK and beyond, Queen Elizabeth II will be buried on Monday.
A state funeral service in London is expected to draw massive crowds at Westminster Abbey, including royalty and world leaders in attendance at the church.
The funeral comes more than a week after the Queen’s death on September 8 at the age of 96, which ended her record-breaking 70-year monarchy.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Monday’s services.
Where is it?
The funeral begins at 11 a.m. local time – 6 a.m. EDT – at Westminster Abbey, a centuries-old church near Westminster Hall where the Queen’s coffin has been in state since Wednesday for the public to pay their respects.
The Queen will then be buried in St George’s Chapel near Windsor Castle alongside her longtime husband Prince Philip, who died aged 99 last year.
Who’s in?
About 2,000 guests are expected to attend the funeral service, including President Biden and other world leaders such as Canada’s Justin Trudeau, France’s Emmanuel Macron and New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern.
Some 500 royals have also been invited, while Pope Francis will send a Vatican representative on his behalf.
Around a million people are expected to travel to London by Monday, when the funeral takes place, while a queue to visit the Queen’s coffin at Westminster Hall ahead of Monday morning is showing waits of up to 24 hours.
Biden paid his respects with a visit to the coffin on Sunday, after which he said it was “an honor” to have met the Queen and that she reminded him of his mother.
“The way she had that look, like, ‘Are you okay?'” Biden said.
like watching
Many of the leading US news networks will cover the funeral live, including NBC and ABC. Coverage on both networks begins at 5:30 a.m. EDT.
In the UK, around 125 cinemas will broadcast the funeral live, while many cities are holding gatherings to see it.
Crowds near Buckingham Palace will be able to follow the funeral on screens set up in Hyde Park, while spectator areas will also be set up along the procession route.
What events have already happened?
The UK’s farewell to the Queen began last Monday with a procession through Edinburgh, ending with a service at St Giles’ Cathedral, where her coffin was on display for 24 hours. All four of the Queen’s children took part in this procession.
The procession from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster in London took place on Wednesday and Prince William and Prince Harry joined the Queen’s children. A brief service followed, and her coffin has been laid out there ever since.
On Friday King Charles III. and siblings Prince Edward, Prince Andrew and Princess Anne at the Queen’s coffin, while Prince William and Prince Harry attended a vigil with their other grandchildren on Saturday.
What else is going on on Monday?
A two-minute silence will be observed throughout the UK at around 11:55am local time as part of the memorial service.
After the funeral, there will be a procession of coffins from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch in London, which will also be attended by King Charles.
The Queen’s coffin will then be lowered into the royal vault during a smaller service at St George’s Chapel, which is expected to be attended by around 800 people.
With NewsWire Services
