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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Christian Abbott

Royal Protocol after Queen's death - why mourning continues for 7 more days

On September 8, Queen Elizabeth II died at the age of 96, plunging the UK into a national period of mourning.

That has ended as of 11.59pm on September 19 - the day of her state funeral - but the Royal Family now has their own mourning to observe.

King Charles III set the length of this mourning period to 17 days, meaning there are seven more to go for the royals.

After wall-to-wall coverage of the event on almost every major UK broadcaster, the BBC, ITV, Sky News and more have returned to normal programming.

Shops, schools and supermarkets have all returned to their standard opening hours as well, but not everything is back to normality.

Here is everything you need to know about the Royal Family's mourning period.

When was the National Period of Mourning?

There are no more events set for the national period of mourning (SKY NEWS / TV GRABS)

In terms of events and ceremony, the national period of mourning came to a close at the end of the day following the state funeral of the Queen - Monday, September 19.

However, King Charles III announced that Royal Protocol adds an additional seven days after the event, bringing the total time to 17 days.

This means that the Royal Family's mourning period will officially come to an end on Monday, September 26.

Why does the Royal Family observe longer mourning?

Monarchs decide how long national periods of mourning last (REUTERS)

Ultimately, the length of the royals' mourning period is decided by the monarch, with King Charles III deciding upon 17 days.

A Buckingham Palace statement read: "It is His Majesty The King's wish that a period of Royal Mourning be observed from now until seven days after The Queen's funeral.

"Royal mourning will be observed by members of the royal family, royal household staff and representatives of the royal household on official duties, together with troops committed to ceremonial duties."

The standard length of a national mourning period is set at 10 days, though the monarch can alter this if they wish.

For example, Queen Elizabeth II marked her late husband Prince Philip’s death with a two-week mourning period in 2021.

What will the Royal Family do after Queen's funeral?

The UK has mostly returned to normal following the Queen's state funeral (Getty Images)

There will no longer be any alternations to the standard working week, with shops, schools, GPs and everything else now open as normal for the British public.

Flags that were lowered to half-mast will be raised back to full mast, while organisations that bannered their websites and social media with black will start going back to their usual branding.

King Charles III set the national period of mourning at 17 days (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

However, Royal Family members, along with government officials and BBC reporters will continue to wear black over the course of the next seven days.

Royal engagements will continue to be scaled back as well, with only minor activities taking place.

For King Charles III, the preparations on his official coronation will begin, though there is currently no date set on when this will take place.

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