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Queen with bagpipe players 2018: The Queen had planned the funeral ceremonies during her lifetime
Photo: Andrew Milligan / dpa
Elizabeth II loved bagpipe music.
Accordingly, her funeral service should now also be decided by her personal bagpipe player.
Major Paul Burns will play the traditional dirge "Sleep, Dearie, Sleep" while the mourners stand and the coffin is brought out of Westminster Abbey, British media reports.
The office of personal bagpipe player was introduced in 1843 under the reign of Queen Victoria.
Major Burns of the Royal Regiment of Scotland is the 17th holder of this post.
His performance at Westminster Abbey was said to have been the Queen's express wish.
The Queen helped plan the funeral ceremonies during her lifetime and added a few personal touches.
Before the service, Matthew Jorysz, the abbey's assistant organist, is expected to play a number of pieces, including Sir Edward Elgar's Elegy Op 58 and Sir Peter Maxwell Davies' Reliqui Domum Meum, according to the report.
According to the report, "The Lord's My Shepherd" will be sung during the church funeral service.
Said to be one of the Queen's favorite songs, it was sung with lyrics from Psalm 23 at the Queen's wedding to Prince Philip in 1947.
Westminster Hall now closed to the public
Queen Elizabeth died on September 8 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland at the age of 96.
A Royal Air Force plane took the body to London, where it was ceremoniously laid out in Westminster Hall.
Countless people filed past the coffin to say goodbye to the British Queen.
Westminster Hall containing the monarch's coffin was closed to the public on Monday.
During the night, many people flocked to the oldest building in the British Parliament to pay their last respects to the Queen.
However, the queue had already been closed for new arrivals on Sunday evening.
Many who were not admitted after a long wait were disappointed.
Before the state funeral for Queen Elizabeth II, there is a state of emergency in Great Britain on Monday.
Schools and universities as well as shops and pubs remain closed almost everywhere.
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to take to the streets of London to catch a glimpse of the funeral procession.
Heads of state and government, royalty and dignitaries from around the world will attend the funeral service at Westminster Abbey at noon.
Police, secret services and anti-terrorist units are coordinating what is probably the largest security operation that London has ever experienced.
A police spokesman said the task was "hugely complex" and unlike anything in the city's history - not even the Queen's platinum jubilee this June or the 2012 Olympics Surveillance drones, motorcycle escorts and horse and dog squadrons planned.
More than 10,000 police officers are to ensure order.
Snipers are positioned on the roofs.
Funeral service will be broadcast in 125 cinemas
For those who could not make it, the funeral service will be broadcast in 125 cinemas and many churches across the country.
Screens were also set up in public places.
In Northern Ireland, for example, the event is to be shown in parks and public buildings.
Read the overview of the most important events on the day of the Queen's funeral here.
In a statement in the evening, the king was “deeply touched” by the many messages of sympathy.
The 73-year-old thanked the "countless people who were such a support and comfort to my family and me during this time of grief".
The night before the funeral, Buckingham Palace shared a previously unpublished photo of the late monarch.
It shows Elizabeth II beaming with a smile in a light blue dress and her pearl jewellery.
The photo was taken at Windsor Castle in May just before the platinum jubilee.
The Queen's remains are due to be taken to Windsor after the funeral service at London's Westminster Abbey on Monday.
In the castle chapel there, the coffin will be placed next to Prince Philip's on Monday evening.
apr/dpa
