How does the "London Bridge" operation work if Queen Elizabeth dies?
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(CNN) --
As a new era dawns in Britain, arrangements are underway for one last farewell to Queen Elizabeth II.
After a record-breaking reign, the monarch died on Thursday at her Balmoral residence in Scotland.
Her son, King Charles III, requested a period of royal mourning from Friday, September 9, until seven days after the queen's funeral, according to a statement from Buckingham Palace.
ANALYSIS |
How the world received the news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II
The state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II will take place in London at 11 am (local time) on Monday, September 19, Buckingham Palace announced on Saturday.
Arrangements will include a four-day ceremony in Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the Abbey, starting on Wednesday 14 September.
This is what you can expect to see happen in the next few days.
How will the queen's coffin return to London?
Preparations are currently being made for his remains to be transported back to London.
The Queen's coffin will be taken by road to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh on Sunday and will make a six-hour journey by hearse to allow mourners to pay their respects.
The property is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland.
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On Monday, the coffin will be carried in a procession from Holyrood to St. Giles' Cathedral, where it will be laid to rest until Tuesday.
It will then fly to Buckingham Palace before arriving at Westminster Hall, where the queen will be laid to rest until the morning of her funeral.
How can the public pay their respects?
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Historical precedent suggests that once in London, the queen will be laid to rest in Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the Palace of Westminster.
The coffins of previous monarchs have been laid to rest on a raised platform – or catafalque – in the middle of the room, guarded 24 hours a day by units of the Home Guard, Foot Guards or the mounted regiment of the Household Cavalry.
Brass plaques in the 11th-century hall mark where Edward VII in 1910, George V in 1936, George VI in 1952, and Queen Mary a year later were laid to rest.
The room, which is over 1,000 years old, is also where wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill was laid to rest in 1965.
The Queen Mother was the last member of the royal family to be veiled in the foyer (and only the second royal consort to be accorded this honour) in 2002. On that occasion, her grandsons Prince Charles, Prince Andrew , Prince Edward and Viscount Linley, participated in the watch, in what is unofficially called "The Vigil of the Princes".
King George V's sons also stood guard at his wake.
The palace has not yet confirmed who could participate in the queen's guard.
The coffin is likely to remain there for several days, at which time the public will be able to walk onto the platform and view the monarch's coffin.
Thousands of people are expected to line up, and some may spend the night outside to honor him.
What will the queen's funeral be like?
The 'Union Jack' flies at half-staff at the Palace of Westminster, the English house of Parliament, after the attack in Nice.
(Credit: DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images)
As monarch, Queen Elizabeth will automatically have a publicly funded state funeral.
It will take place at Westminster Abbey sometime in the next two weeks, although the exact day will be confirmed in due course.
The abbey was founded in the year 960 by Benedictine monks and is one of the most well-known places in London.
Over the years, it has been the scene of important moments for royalty, such as coronations, weddings and funerals.
The guest list is still a few days away, but it is likely that heads of state and dignitaries from around the world will descend on the British capital to celebrate the life of the queen and her 70 years of service to the nation.
Other familiar faces will be some of the 15 former prime ministers and senior lawmakers of the queen.
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Members of the British royal family who hold high military rank, the sovereign's consort and the heir to the throne often receive ceremonial royal funerals instead, as was the case with Prince Philip's funeral in April 2021.
According to a 2013 House of Commons briefing note, the main differences between state and ceremonial funerals are that a state funeral requires the approval of Parliament and that the carriage carrying the coffin is pulled by Navy sailors. Real, instead of horses.
The sailors' tradition began at Queen Victoria's state funeral in January 1901. According to the royal family's official website: "The horses that were to pull the carriage became restless standing in the cold and behaved dangerous way, so...a team of sailors took it upon themselves to pull the gun carriage to St. George's Chapel."
A handful of non-sovereigns have had the honor of a state funeral, including Isaac Newton, Horatio Nelson, the 1st Duke of Wellington and, of course, Churchill.
Following Churchill's death in 1965, it was Queen Elizabeth II who presented a note to Parliament, stating that the war leader had "served his country unerringly for more than 50 years and in the hours of greatest danger he was the inspiring leader who strengthened and supported us all".
Where will the queen be buried?
Members of the King's troop leave Windsor Castle in west London on April 15.
After the Queen's funeral service, her coffin will make its final journey out of London and on to Windsor.
Your destination is the well-known St. George's Chapel, on the grounds of Windsor Castle.
The memorial service for Prince Philip was held there, as well as other more joyous occasions such as the weddings of the queen's grandchildren.
Following the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral in 2021, his coffin was placed in the Royal Vault, located below the chapel, where many members of the royal family have been buried.
However, with the queen's death, it is expected that it will be relocated and that the couple will be reunited to lie together in the King George VI memorial chapel elsewhere within the Chapel.
Queen isabel II
