The government has given an update on whether schools will close for Queen Elizabeth II's funeral.
The Queen died "peacefully" at Balmoral on Thursday (September 8), after the palace released an earlier statement outlining concerns for her health. During a televised ceremony this morning, the new monarch, King Charles III, confirmed the day of the Queen's state funeral is to be a bank holiday.
It was later announced the funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey on Monday, September 19. And now the government has confirmed schools will close to mark the occasion.
READ MORE: Bank Holiday announced to mark the Queen's state funeral
A statement on the government's website reads: “Schools will be closed, we are not asking them to remain open on the day of the bank holiday. The date of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s State Funeral, will be a national bank holiday.
“This will allow individuals, businesses and other organisations to pay their respects to Her Majesty and commemorate Her reign, while marking the final day of the period of national mourning.”
The ceremony will start at 11am and will follow a four-day period where the Queen will lie in state at Westminster Hall. The Queen's oak coffin - which is currently lying in the Ballroom at Balmoral Castle - will be taken by road to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh on Sunday, September 11.
The six-hour journey by hearse will allow mourners to gather in the towns and villages to pay their respects. On Monday, the coffin will be taken from Holyroodhouse in procession to St Giles's Cathedral where it will lie at rest until Tuesday, September 13, before being taken by air by RAF plane to London.
The Queen will lie in state for four days in Westminster Hall, arriving there on Wednesday, September 14. Details of how the public can attend are expected to be released in the coming days.
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