Queen Elizabeth II Funeral: The longest reigning monarch will be laid to rest beside her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. There will be more than 2,000 guests attending the service at Westminster Abbey in central London opposite the Houses of Parliament known at the Palace of Westminster, where the body has been lying-in-state for several days, with an estimated 750,000 Britons and foreigners filing past it. Around 4,000 personnel of the armed forces will participate in the ceremonies. The television audience is forecast to be in the billions. Know all about the funeral here:
Queen Elizabeth II Funeral Timing India:
The funeral will begin at 3.30 p.m. Indian Standard Time and is expected last an hour.
Where will Queen Elizabeth II's funeral take place?
The funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey and according to Buckingham palace officials, The Royal Hospital Chelsea which is a residence for retired soldiers in West London will host a gathering of heads of state and foreign royals before they leave for Westminster Abbey.
Dress code for British royal family, Andrew and Prince Harry
The dress code laid down for members of the British royal family for the ceremonies has been the subject of much debate on the UK's media. For the service at the Abbey and ceremonies on Monday, King Charles III, his son Prince William, now the heir to the throne, Charles' sister Princess Anne and brother Prince Edward will wear military uniform. Charles' brother Andrew and younger son Prince Harry, who are no longer 'working royals', have been relegated to civilian attire.
Queen Elizabeth II Funeral Royal Family Rituals
--The Queen's coffin is at Westminster Hall and after 6 am (London time) on September 19, the doors will close to the public. Preparations will thereafter begin for the Queen's coffin to be moved to Westminster Abbey. According to New York Times, the Westminster Abbey will open at 8:00 am (London time) for those who have been invited to the funeral. It also reports that the coffin will be carried in a procession from Westminster Hall to the abbey. The Royal Navy and Royal Marines personnel will be stationed along the way. About 200 musicians, including the pipes and drums of the Scottish and Irish Regiments, will lead the procession. King Charles III and other royal family members will ride in the carriage.
-- A two-minute silence will follow. Thereafter, the body will be taken to Windsor Castle - a British royal residence 25 miles west of the capital.
-- After the service ends, a procession will follow the coffin to Wellington Arch in London after which it will be driven to Windsor. Following the funeral, visiting heads of state and government representatives would attend a reception hosted by the foreign secretary. Now, after the Queen's coffin will reach Windsor, the hearse will join a new procession on the journey to St. George's chapel. A committal service will be held there. All members of the queen's staff, including those who have worked on private estates, will be in attendance.
-- According to the online media portal, The Imperial State Crown, the orb, and the sceptre will be taken off the top of the coffin and placed on the altar by the crown jeweller before the last hymn is sung.
-- Then, the coffin will be lowered into the royal vault, a burial room underneath the chapel, following the hymn. New York Times quoted a Buckingham Palace release that read, "The Queen is to be buried together with The Duke of Edinburgh".
-- The blessing will be pronounced by the archbishop of Canterbury, and "God Save the King" will then be sung.
-- The funeral service will be private and begin at 7:30 p.m. The dean of Windsor will be conducting it.
Who will conduct Queen Elizabeth II's funeral?
The funeral service will be conducted by the dean of Westminster, and readings will be given by Patricia Scotland, the secretary general of the Commonwealth, and Prime Minister Liz Truss. The sermon will be delivered by Canterbury's archbishop, the Most Reverend Justin Welby.
Who will attend Queen Elizabeth II's funeral?
The monarchs, presidents and prime ministers present would constitute one of the biggest gatherings of world leaders in history - to pay tribute to one of the most recognised world figures, who was also the head of the Commonwealth - an association of 54 countries, including India.
-- with inputs from agencies (ANI, IANS, PTI)
Don't miss these:
Queen Elizabeth's daughter Princess Anne writes heartfelt letter for her mother
Prince Harry banned from wearing military uniform at Queen Elizabeth II's funeral. Here's why
Fan gifts King Charles a pen after the ink leak disaster and Twitter has best reactions
