Buckingham Palace announces details of Queen’s funeral service

London
CNN
—

A two-minute nationwide silence will take place shortly before the end of Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral on Monday, palace officials have revealed.

The meticulously planned arrangements are set to be a fitting farewell to Britain’s longest reigning monarch, and will see King Charles III and members of the Royal Family once again walk behind the coffin as it is moved from the heart of the British parliamentary estate in Westminster. Abbey for the one hour service.

Speaking on behalf of the many agencies and departments involved in the funeral, the Earl Marshal, Duke of Norfolk said the orchestration of the event was “both humbling and intimidating”.

He added that it aimed to “unite people across the world and resonate with people of all faiths, while granting Her Majesty and her family’s wish to pay fitting tribute to an extraordinary reign.” .

The Queen died a week ago aged 96 at her country home at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

Heads of State, European Royals and dignitaries from around the world will travel to England’s capital to join the Royal Family in honoring the Queen’s life and her unwavering service to the nation and the Commonwealth. next week.

Although no official guest list has yet been released, invitations have been sent out. US President Joe Biden was among the first to confirm his attendance at the London event, where 2,000 people are expected.

The palace outlined what to expect at Monday’s ceremonies for the late monarch during a Thursday briefing.

On the day of the funeral at approximately 10:35 a.m. (5:35 a.m. ET), the coffin will be lifted from the catafalque where it rests by a group of pallbearers funded by the Queen’s Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, and carried in a procession from Westminster Hall to the State Gun Royal Navy carriage, a senior palace official said.

The gun carriage has also been used for the funerals of previous monarchs, including those of King Edward VII, King George V and King George VI. It was also used for the funerals of the Queen’s first Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, and his cousin, Lord Louis Mountbatten.

In keeping with previous tradition, the gun carriage will leave at 10.44 a.m. and will be pulled by 142 Royal Naval Ratings, who are service personnel, according to the senior palace official.

It will then make the short journey from New Palace Yard to Westminster Abbey, which will be flanked by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. The procession will be led by a pipe and drum band from the Scottish and Irish Regiments, the Brigade of Gurkhas and the Royal Air Force with musicians numbering 200 in total.

The King, members of the Royal Family and members of both families of the Monarch and Prince of Wales will follow directly behind the coffin.

For the journey, the coffin will be flanked by the party of pallbearers, pallbearers found with the Queen’s squires in service, in addition to detachments of the King’s Bodyguards from the Honorable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms, the Yeomen of the Guard and of the Royal Company. of Archers.

The service will be led by the Reverend David Hoyle, the Dean of Westminster, at Westminster Abbey from 11 a.m. (6 a.m. ET).

British Prime Minister Liz Truss and Patricia Scotland, the Commonwealth Secretary General, will give lessons. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, will deliver a sermon.

Towards the end of the service, around 11:55 a.m., the Last Post will sound before a two-minute silence is observed.

The state funeral will be concluded by the Queen’s Piper, who at noon (7 a.m. ET) will play a revival, the national anthem and a lament.

After the State Funeral, the coffin will be transported from the hall to Wellington Arch – again with King Charles III leading some of the Royal Family on foot, while Camilla, the Queen Consort and others follow in car – before making his last trip from London to Windsor.

His destination: St. George’s Chapel, within the grounds of Windsor Castle, where a burial service will take place around 4 p.m. (11 a.m. ET), hosted by the Dean of Windsor. Prince Philip’s funeral was also held there in 2021.

The Crown Jeweler will be present and, before the final anthem, will remove the Imperial State Crown, Orb and Sceptre, which will then be returned to the Tower of London.

At the end of the service, the Queen’s coffin will be lowered into the royal vault below the chapel.

A private funeral service will be held later for the family, and the Queen will be laid to rest with her late husband of 73 years, Prince Philip, at the King George VI Memorial Chapel. Located elsewhere in St. George’s, it is where the Queen’s father and mother were also buried and where her sister Margaret’s ashes rest.

Mourners lined up all night for the chance to walk past the Queen’s coffin in Westminster Hall and pay their respects. The queue of visitors has grown steadily since the doors opened to the public.

By Thursday noon the line stretched for about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) along the Thames past Tower Bridge, according to an official tracker.

Buckingham Palace also said the children of Queen Elizabeth II will hold a vigil around her coffin on Friday evening, similar to their guard at St. Giles Cathedral in Scotland earlier this week.

King Charles III will be joined by Princess Anne and Princes Andrew and Edward around the coffin.

The palace also revealed the king will host a reception for visiting heads of state at Buckingham Palace on Sunday, ahead of the state funeral.

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