Once-in-a-generation procedures that have been scrupulously planned for decades are being put into action following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, with a wave of national transformation now in full swing.
Upon the announcement of Her Majesty's passing, all arms of the state were positioned, such as a huge security operation by police forces across the country as large crowds gather to grieve her passing.
The monarch died peacefully at her beloved Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire on Thursday, and her body was placed in the ballroom. Staff were able to pay their respects yesterday, reports the Mirror.
Her coffin is expected to be moved to Edinburgh and then on to London, after being met at RAF Northolt by the Prime Minister and her Cabinet on Tuesday.
Talks are taking place behind the scenes to decide whether the day of the Queen’s funeral, expected to be Monday, September 19, should be a bank holiday, with schools and other public organisations forced to close.
Businesses, organisations and sporting associations have been left to choose how to mark her death, if at all.
King Charles III is now preparing to embark on a tour of the country in the days before the funeral to meet his new subjects as millions around Britain unite in their sorrow.
They will be able to pay their respects to the Queen at royal sites across the country.
Mourners have been urged to donate to charity in memory of the Queen if they wish at royal.uk, where they can also leave messages of condolence.
Official guidance from the Cabinet Office last night suggested they contribute to one of the late monarch’s charities.
It said: “Making a donation to one of Her Majesty’s many charities and patronages may be considered a fitting way of paying tribute to her extraordinary legacy.”
In London a “memorial flower garden” will be created in Green Park, next to Buckingham Palace where throngs of people have been leaving tributes at the royal residence.
At Windsor, Berks, tributes can be laid on the Long Walk at Cambridge Gate close to the town centre. In Edinburgh, the location is the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
In Cardiff, “flowers can be laid at the areas either side of the City Hall entrance”. A virtual book of condolence has also been established via the Royal Family website.
TODAY
The Accession Council, which includes senior Government figures, will gather at St James’s Palace to proclaim King Charles the new monarch.
The Prime Minister, senior Government ministers and hundreds of privy counsellors are expected to attend.
The proclamation will be read atSt James’s Palace and the RoyalExchange in the City of London, confirming Charles as King.
Parliament will issue a public message of condolence while all other parliamentary business is suspended for 10 days.
MPs will continue to give tributes in the Commons before the PM and senior ministers meet the King.
TOMORROW
The Queen’s coffin is expected to be moved from Balmoral to the Palace of Holyrood house in Edinburgh and the King will return to Scotland.
Staff will be able to pay their respects there. Proclamations will be read in the devolved administrations and tributes are likely to continue in parliament.
MONDAY
King Charles will receive the motion of condolence at Westminster Hall.
He will then embark on a tour of the UK, starting with a visit to the Scottish parliament and a service atSt Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh.
This will be attended by members of the Royal Family, where theQueen may be lying in state.
TUESDAY
King Charles will arrive in Northern Ireland.
Here he will receive another motion of condolence at Hillsborough Castle and attend a service at St Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast.
The Queen’s coffin is expected to be flown to RAF Northolt in North West London before being transferred to the centre of the capital and taken on a hearse to Buckingham Palace.
Members of the public will be able to line the route to pay their respects.
A rehearsal will take place for Operation Lion, the procession of the coffin from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster.
WEDNESDAY
The procession of the Queen’s coffin from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster will take place along a ceremonial route through the capital.
There will be a service in Westminster Hall, in the Palace of Westminster, where the Queen’s body will then lie in state for four days before the funeral, in an operation codenamed Feather.
Her Majesty’s coffin will lie on a raised box known as a catafalque in the middle of Westminster Hall.
The Hall will be open 23 hours a day to members of the public, who must queue to get in, though time slot tickets will be issued for VIPs.
A rehearsal will take place for the state funeral procession.
THURSDAY
The Foreign Office is tasked with arranging the arrivals of heads of state and VIPs from overseas.
The Home Office is responsible for security arrangements, and the Government’s National Security Secretariat and intelligence services will be on high alert for any increased terror threat.
FRIDAY/SATURDAY
Heads of state from around the world arrive to pay their respects while the Queen remains lying-in-state at Westminster.
King Charles will travel to Wales to receive another motion of condolence at the Welsh parliament and attend a service at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff.
SUNDAY
A reception will be held at Lancaster House near St James’s Palace for funeral guests, including heads of states, Governor Generals and realm Prime Ministers.
Foreign royals are likely to visit the Queen’s lying-in-state.
The King will hold another formal audience with the Prime Minister.
MONDAY
The state funeral is expected on this day, at Westminster Abbey.
A two-minute silence will be held across the nation and it was still being decided last night whether the day should be a bank holiday
The coffin will be drawn to the Abbey on a gun carriage pulled on ropes by sailors rather than horses.
Senior members of the Royal Family are expected to follow behind.
The military will line the streets and also join the procession.
Processions will take place in London and Windsor, while a committal service will be held at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
The Queen will be buried in the castle’s King George VI Memorial Chapel.
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