The Department for Culture, Media and Sport are meeting this morning to discuss cancelling the weekend's Premier League fixtures after the death of Her Majesty The Queen. Queen Elizabeth II was pronounced dead at the age of 96 on Thursday evening after a 70-year reign as Britain's longest-serving monarch.
The UK went into mourning over the tragic news that will now lead to many conversations over what happens next, not only in the Royal Family but in the wider world. When Princess Diana died in 1997, Football League fixtures were postponed, and the same will happen for this weekends Premier League fixtures.
The EFL already confirmed that Friday's fixtures had been postponed, with the DCMS meeting to be followed by a meeting of the Premier League and the EFL to discuss the weekend's matches. Today's press conferences are expected to be cancelled, with tomorrow's matches looking set to follow.
READ MORE: Premier League fixtures LIVE: Updates from meeting to discuss cancellation after Queen's death
A statement from the league's official website read: "At a meeting this morning, Premier League clubs paid tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. To honour her extraordinary life and contribution to the nation, and as a mark of respect, this weekend's Premier League match round will be postponed, including Monday evening's game."
Richard Masters, the Premier League's Chief Executive, said: "We and our clubs would like to pay tribute to Her Majesty's long and unwavering service to our country. As our longest-serving monarch, she has been an inspiration and leaves behind an incredible legacy following a life of dedication.
"This is a tremendously sad time for not just the nation but also for the millions of people around the world who admired her, and we join together with all those in mourning her passing."
However, King Charles has declared 17 days of mourning for the Queen as the official first details of the palace condolences are confirmed. Following the death of the Queen, the new King has announced that a period of Royal Mourning will be observed until seven days after the Queen’s funeral. The date of the funeral is yet to be confirmed but it is believed to take place ten days after the Queen’s death.
That would see the funeral held on Sunday, September 18, with Brentford vs Arsenal and Chelsea vs Liverpool likely to be called off then too.
We will know more once the meetings have taken place. Follow it live here.
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