From London to Windsor, the historic funeral of Queen Elizabeth II unveiled in ten key stages

2022-09-18T11:37:31.418Z

Prepared for decades, the Queen's funeral represents a logistical and security challenge unlike any in England.

Credit: LP/Jean-Baptiste Quentin

International

From London to Windsor, the historic funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in ten key stages

Prepared for decades, the Queen's funeral represents a logistical and security challenge such as England has never known.
Our large format in 3D and infographics to understand everything.

Julien Perreaut, Sébastien Xavier, Renaud Meillier, Thomas Higashiyama, Fabien Casaleggio and Stanislas de Livonnière

Last update: 09/18/2022

The end of an era, the disappearance of a queen who was thought to be eternal.

Elizabeth II died Thursday September 8, 2022 at Balmoral Castle, Scotland.

On Sunday, his coffin began a long journey through the Scottish countryside, to Edinburgh.

There, the procession left Holyrood Palace at 2:35 p.m. sharp to reach Saint-Gilles Cathedral for a religious ceremony.

The Queen's coffin then flew to London, where it was laid in the British Parliament, ahead of a state funeral scheduled for Monday, September 19.

Read alsoRoyal procession, religious ceremony … how Scotland said goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected, as well as 500 foreign dignitaries.

A colossal security challenge.

Faced with the magnitude of the event, the British authorities are preparing to play a score calibrated to the millimeter and planned for three decades.

“Due to the limited space at the funeral […] no other family members, staff or entourage of the main guest can be admitted”.

British Foreign Office

The state funeral will take place on Monday, September 19, culminating in a ceremony at Westminster Abbey.

A mondovision broadcast will follow the last tribute paid by dignitaries from around the world to the one who reigned for more than 70 years.

From Westminster to Windsor Castle, a look back at the last extraordinary journey of an extraordinary sovereign.

The ceremony at Westminster

Leaving from Westminster Hall, the convoy will head for Westminter Abbey 150 meters away.

The coffin will be covered by the royal standard, surmounted by the crown of state, the orb and the imperial sceptre.

These contain two diamonds of 317 and 530 carats each, cut in the Culligan, the largest diamond ever discovered on Earth.

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The coffin will be carried by the Royal Navy gun carrier, last seen in 1979 at the funeral of Prince Philip's uncle, Lord Mountbatten, who was murdered on August 27 of the same year by militants from the Irish Republican Army (IRA).

The procession will be led by the orchestra of the regiments of Scotland and Ireland, members of the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Gurkhas, an elite unit of the British army, recruited in Nepal.

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It is the first time since the 18th century that a monarch's funeral has taken place in Westminster.

The funeral service will begin at 11 a.m. (12 noon French time) and will be led by the Dean of Westminster.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the highest authority in the Church of England behind the King, will deliver the sermon.

Two thousand guests are expected: members of the royal family, Prime Minister Liz Truss, former Prime Ministers, Heads of State, European monarchs and “VIPs”.

Interior view of Westminster Abbey

Credit: LP/Infographic

Interior view of Westminster Abbey

Credit: LP/Infographic

Interior view of Westminster Abbey

Credit: LP/Infographic

Interior view of Westminster Abbey

Credit: LP/Infographic

Interior view of Westminster Abbey

Credit: LP/Infographic

The ceremony will take place from 11 a.m. (local time) to noon.

At 11:55 a.m., two minutes of silence will be observed throughout the kingdom.

The coffin will enter the abbey through the large west door...

... it will be carried through the nave...

... to a platform located in the choir.

The 2,000 expected guests will be spread over the aisles of the nave and in the wings of the transept.

After the ceremony, the Queen's coffin will be placed back on the cannon rack and then carried in a procession through the English capital.

Every minute the bells of Windsor Castle will ring and be accompanied by cannon shots being fired at the foot of the castle.

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On the way to St. George's Chapel in Windsor

Leaving from London, the convoy will head for Windsor, 35 kilometers from the capital.

Arrival is scheduled for 3:06 p.m. sharp.

The funeral procession will follow the "long walk" south of the castle, surrounded by representatives of the armed forces.

It will then enter the enclosure of Windsor, to the chapel of Saint-Georges.

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An emblematic place, the chapel has hosted many weddings, baptisms and funerals of the royal family.

The latest two have caught the spotlight.

Prince Philip's funeral in 2021 and the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, better known as Harry and Meghan, in 2018.