Floral tributes to the Queen left at sites around the country will be removed from Tuesday.
Guidance offered to councils and churches for the National Mourning period advises that flowers should be removed from Tuesday, September 20, the day after the Queen's funeral. Tributes at Royal properties will remain in place for longer, as the family will be in a period of mourning for longer than the general public.
The Government's Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities issued guidance to faith groups, including the Church of England, which the Queen was head of, regarding floral tributes and the period of National Mourning. It says groups such as churches that host floral tributes left by the public should consider "the need to formally mark the removal of the flowers at 9am on the day following the State Funeral".
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The Church of England's own guidance states that flags should be returned to full mast from 8am on Tuesday, September 20. Floral displays should end on the same day and online books of condolence should close.
When flowers and floral tributes for the Queen will be removed
As there are two separate periods of mourning, the date that flowers will be removed from a site depends on who runs or owns it. Councils and faith groups are, mostly, following the National Mourning protocol as opposed to the period of Royal Mourning. National Mourning ends on the day of the funeral, Royal Mourning ends a week after the funeral.
Councils will signal the end of the mourning period by raising flags to full mast at 8am on Tuesday, September 20. Floral tributes will close and the flowers will be removed from that day.
"Flowers can be left until the end of the official period of mourning, at 8am on Tuesday 20 September," said Newcastle City Council.
Durham County Council says flowers left by the public will be removed after the funeral and used for composting in parks. Sunderland City Council has also confirmed flowers will be removed from Tuesday September 20, while Ashington Town Council says 'protocol' means flowers may be collected from Tuesday.
Other authorities around England have confirmed they will remove tributes on Tuesday morning.
Flowers left in London have, where possible, been moved to Hyde Park and Green Park, which are both Royal parks. They will remain in place for longer due to the period of Royal Mourning.
Royal Parks says : "Tributes will be left on site until all ceremonial activity has taken place. It is expected that all floral tributes will be removed from park areas from seven to fourteen days after the date of the funeral.
What happens to the flowers left for the Queen?
Communities like faith groups that have collected flowers are advised to work with their council to plan for the disposal of flowers left in memory of the Queen.
Where possible, flowers will be composted and re-used in green spaces and parks, by both councils across the UK and the Royal Parks in London.
"Once floral tributes are removed, they will be taken to the Hyde Park nursery for processing to remove any remaining packaging, cards and labels and to separate plant material for composting in nearby Kensington Gardens. This organic composted material will be used on shrubberies and landscaping projects across the Royal Parks."
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