Queen Elizabeth's funeral is set to be held today with her lying-in-state ceremony formally ending at 11 am (IST). The government has meticulously drawn up a plan for the funeral service and her burial with a timetable and roadmap in place for her procession through the streets of London.
Over 2,000 people, including royals from across the world and the heads of states, will attend the funeral in London. Viewing areas have also been set up for the public.
The coffin of the longest-serving British monarch, who died on September 8, will be carried on a state gun carriage at 3:14 pm for a short procession from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey, where the state funeral will begin. The funeral service will be conducted by the Dean of Westminster David Hoyle with the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby giving the sermon.
The funeral service will close at 4:30 pm with the national anthem "God Save The King" being played along with a Lament, a musical expression for grief. The coffin will then be drawn on the gun carried towards the Wellington Arch at Hyde Park near the Buckingham Palace. King Charles, other royals, and detachments from the armed forces of other Commonwealth nations. The coffin will arrive at the Wellington Arch at 5:30 pm and will be moved to the royal hearse for its onward journey towards Windsor Castle.
The royal hearse will arrive in Windsor at around 8:10 pm and make its way towards the castle with the king and senior royals joining the procession on foot. The queen will be laid to rest alongside the remains of her father, King George VI, her mother, also called Queen Elizabeth, and the ashes of her young sister, Princess Margaret, at a private burial service at the King George VI Memorial Chapel around midnight. Her late husband Prince Philip's coffin will also be interred there at the same time.
Route
The procession of the queen's coffin will travel along Broad Sanctuary, Parliament Square, Whitehall, Horse Guards Parade, Horse Guards Road, The Mall, and Constitution Hill on its way from Westminster Abbey to the Wellington Arch.
The coffin, transferred to a state hearse, will then travel along South Carriage Drive to the Albert Memorial, where it will depart for Windsor. The hearse will travel in procession along Albert Road and the Long Walk to St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. A committal service will be held at 8:40 pm at St George's chapel.
Click here for the UK government's guide to the ceremonial events for the queen's funeral. Here's a route map of the procession.
How to watch?
Those in London can watch the procession at the viewing areas along the route of the procession in London. In total, there are eight viewing areas along the route. All events will be screened at London's Hyde Park too.
Those not in London can follow the radio and TV broadcast on the funeral.
