Queen Elizabeth II will be laid to rest in the first state funeral in 57 years today, Monday, September 19. The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral, her Scottish Highlands home, on September 8.
Buckingham Palace announced the news that day, at around 6.30pm, hours after sharing a statement saying doctors were concerned for her health. The brief statement said: "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."
For the last four days, amid a period of national mourning, the Queen has lied in state in Westminster Hall where mourners have filed past her coffin to pay their final respects to the late monarch. On Friday, the Queen’s children – Charles, the Duke of York, the Princess Royal and the Earl of Wessex – took part in their own vigil on Friday evening. The King, Anne, Andrew and Edward stood vigil around their mother’s coffin, with their heads bowed throughout as members of the public filed slowly past them.
READ MORE: 'Is it real?' Heartwarming moment boy, 9, opens one of last thank-you cards from Queen
Then on Saturday, her eight grandchildren also held a vigil around her coffin. The Prince of Wales led his brother the Duke of Sussex, as well as his cousins Zara Tindall and Peter Philips, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn stood for 15 minutes as people continued to share a final moment with Her Majesty.
The Queen's funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey, with the congregation able to begin taking their seats from 8am. The King will then once again lead his family in marching behind the Queen’s coffin when it is moved, at 10.44am on Monday, from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey for the Queen’s funeral service.
The procession will arrive at the west gate of Westminster Abbey at 10.52am when the bearer party will lift the coffin from the gun carriage and carry it into the Abbey for the state funeral service, the Earl Marshal said. The service will begin at 11am and will be conducted by the Dean of Westminster.
The BBC will be providing full coverage of The State Funeral of Her Majesty The Queen across television, radio, iPlayer and BBC Sounds. A special programme will be on air from 0800-1700 on BBC One, BBC Two and iPlayer with BSL signed coverage on BBC Two.
Huw Edwards, Kirsty Young and David Dimbleby are among the presenters who will anchor the BBC’s TV coverage of the Queen’s funeral from 8am until 5pm.
ITV will also provide coverage of the historic events with Good Morning Britain previewing the funeral from 6am. Tom Bradby and Julie Etchingham will then host the main the broadcast. Their programming will start at 9.30am and the broadcasters will be joined by guests and royal experts throughout the day, while other reporters will be staged at key landmarks.
A documentary film will then be broadcast at 7.30pm and a special programme at 9pm before an extended News at Ten presented by Tom will follow.
Sky News will provide full live coverage for free on Sky News, the Sky News App and on the Sky News YouTube channel, including a special programme starting at 9am from Westminster Abbey.
READ NEXT:
- Where will Queen Elizabeth II be buried?
- The shops and places that will open today on the Queen's funeral bank holiday
- Greater Manchester funerals updates borough-by-borough - as UK services CANCELLED on Monday
- Where to watch the Queen’s funeral on big screens and full list of commemorative events and services across Greater Manchester
- 'I thought it was a hoax...' pride and honour as Mancunians invited to Queen Elizabeth II's funeral
