New Delhi: Britain’s longest-serving Queen Elizabeth II, who died on 8 September at the age of 96, will be honored with a full state funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday (September 19, 2022). The funeral will begin at 3.30 pm IST and is expected to last for an hour. More than 2,000 guests will gather at Westminster Abbey in London today for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.
Queen Elizabeth will be buried with Prince Philip at St. George’s Chapel. His parents were also buried in the small chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle. King Charles and other royals will attend a “deeply personal” event in the evening away from the prying eyes of the general public.
A bell will ring continuously for 96 minutes, marking the length of the Queen’s life, before the service begins at 11am (around 4am IST), reports the BBC.
The Queen’s coffin will be taken to Westminster Abbey as a ceremonial procession for the state funeral. According to local reports, police have made elaborate arrangements for crowd control and security measures as thousands of people are expected to line up on Monday to bid her last farewell to the Queen.
About 200 pipers and drummers will accompany the coffin as it is carried on a gun carriage to Westminster Abbey by King Charles, his siblings, their sons Princes William and Harry, and other members of the Windsor family.
With the death of Queen Elizabeth II in the United Kingdom on 8 September, King Charles III is proclaimed monarch.
King Charles III and the Queen’s Consort will lead the procession behind the Queen’s coffin, accompanied by world leaders and dignitaries in the 13th-century church for service. The Prince and Princess of Wales will be followed by their nine-year-old son George and seven-year-old daughter Charlotte, followed by their uncles and aunts, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and other members of the royal family.
The BBC reported that a Commitment Service would follow at St George’s Chapel in Windsor in the evening after the funeral was over. Westminster Abbey bells would be rung later, but they would be suppressed, as is the tradition after a sovereign’s funeral.
Some of the European royal families who attended Monday’s funeral are King Philippe of Belgium and Queen Mathilde; King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and his wife, Queen Maxima, with their mother, former Dutch Queen Princess Beatrix; and King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain.
Additionally, Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako will also attend the service, as well as Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.
Other expected guests include the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah; King Abdullah of Jordan; The Crown Prince of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah; Letsi III, king of Lesotho; and Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has arrived in the UK, as have New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Indian President Draupadi Murmu have also reached London and will attend the funeral. Other world leaders in attendance are US President and First Lady Joe and Jill Biden; Irish Taoiseach Michael Martin and President Michael Higgins; German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier; Italian President Sergio Mattarella; and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Meanwhile, senior citizens and children have been camping on the funeral routes for more than 48 hours to pay their last respects to Queen Elizabeth II on Monday. Some of them have come from the UK countryside and even brought beds and tents to battle the cold wind blowing from London at this time of year. Visitors are also carrying food and beverages for their extended stay on the streets.
(with agency input)