The UK is in a period of mourning after the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday. It has now been confirmed that her funeral will be on Monday, September 19.
As sovereign she will be given a state funeral. And it will be the first in the UK for nearly 60 years.
The last took place in 1965 for former Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill. It was held on January 30, 1965. There have been no state funerals since then, reports the M.E.N.
Before Churchill, a state funeral was given to the Queen’s father, King George VI, on February 15, 1952. The procession was the first of a British monarch to be broadcast on television.
The Queen's husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, who died in April 2021, was given a royal ceremonial funeral, rather than a state funeral. He had indicated a wish for minimal "fuss" and did not lie in state, while the Queen mother did lie in state, but similarly had a royal ceremonial funeral.
Diana, Princess of Wales, as mother of Princes William and Harry, was also given a form of ceremonial royal funeral in 1997, despite no longer being an official member of the Royal Family. Baroness Thatcher’s funeral in April 2013 was a ceremonial funeral with full military honours.
A state or ceremonial funeral consists of a military procession where the coffin is borne on a gun carriage from the private resting chapel to Westminster Hall. In a state funeral the gun carriage is pulled by members of the Royal Navy.
In a royal ceremonial funeral, the gun carriage is pulled by horses, as opposed to service personnel. The body usually lies in state in Westminster Hall for three days. This is then followed by a funeral service at Westminster Abbey or St Paul's Cathedral.
Many of the features of a state funeral are shared by other types of funerals - a royal ceremonial funeral often has a lying in state and Westminster Abbey service. Often, the main distinction between a state funeral and a royal ceremonial funeral is that a state funeral requires a motion or vote in Parliament.
State funerals are usually reserved for sovereigns, but, as in the case of Sir Winston Churchill, they may be granted to distinguished citizens with exceptional contributions to the country. Other members of the royal family, or occasionally politicians, typically receive ceremonial funerals instead.