The Queen will be laid to rest alongside her beloved Prince Philip at Windsor Castle after the nation says a last goodbye.
Two thousand people including world leaders and foreign royals will gather for her state funeral at Westminster Abbey in London at 11am.
Afterwards more than 800 people, including members of the Queen’s Household and Windsor estate staff chosen especially by Her Majesty, will attend the committal service in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
At 7.30pm, following one of the most extraordinary periods in British history, the Queen will be interred alongside her husband of 73 years, watched by King Charles and members of the Royal Family.
The state funeral is expected to be watched on TV by a billion people around the world. It will “unite people across the globe and resonate with people of all faiths”, said the Earl Marshal, the Duke of Norfolk, who is in charge of the proceedings.
He described the task as “both humbling and daunting. An honour and a great responsibility”.
He said: “Her Majesty’s passing has left many people with a profound sense of loss.
“The Queen held a unique and timeless position in all our lives. The events of recent days are a reminder of the strength of our constitution, a system of government, which in so many ways is the envy of the world.
“This has been felt more keenly over the past few days as the world comes to terms with her demise.”
Presidents, prime ministers and royalty from around the world will gather over the next few days to pay tribute to Britain’s record-breaking monarch for 70 years.
Nearly 200 key workers and volunteers recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list have also been invited to the funeral.
All arms of the state are preparing for what security chiefs have called the “largest and most complex event in British policing history”.
Thousands continued to queue through the night to see Her Majesty’s coffin lying in state. An estimated one million mourners will have paid their respects at Westminster Hall before viewing is brought to a close at 6.30am on Monday. A “moment of reflection” including a two-minute silence will be observed around the world on Sunday at 8pm.
Her Majesty’s coffin will be carried onto the State Gun Carriage of the Royal Navy, which will be pulled by 142 naval service personnel to Westminster Abbey, the same church where Elizabeth was crowned in 1953.
The state funeral will begin at 11am and last for about an hour. The Last Post will sound before a nationwide two-minute silence.
The Queen will then be taken on the gun carriage from the abbey to the Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner, with Charles and members of the royal family walking behind.
Guns will fire and Parliament’s Big Ben bell will toll every minute.
The state hearse will then convey the coffin to Windsor Castle, for a further solemn procession before the St George’s Chapel committal service.
In a later private ceremony, Elizabeth will be buried with Philip at the King George VI Memorial Chapel where her parents and sister, Princess Margaret were also laid to rest.
Representatives from the Commonwealth realms of which the Queen was head of state will also be at the committal service.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Canada president Justin Trudeau and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, are among those confirmed to attend.
Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella and Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro are also attending, along with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
The Queen’s four children, King Charles, Princess Anne and Princes Andrew and Edward, will hold a silent vigil alongside the catafalque her coffin rests on at Westminster Hall at 7.30pm tonight.
King Charles, who will today visit Wales to accept messages of condolences as part of his UK tour, is set to unveil a rapid timetable for his first months in the role leading up to his coronation next year.
