The Queen's funeral: A timeline of what will happen

(Image credit: Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Image/Future)

published 19 September 2022

The Queen's state funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey and will be broadcast live on TV. Here we break down what the day will entail and what will happen after the event.

The Queen's state funeral will be a choreographed event, likely one of biggest single events staged in Britain since the Second World War
The day's duties will begin at 6.30am in Westminster Hall and will finish at 7.30pm in King George VI's chapel at Windsor Castle
In other royal news, it has been shared who will be attending The Queen's funeral - and who hasn't been invited

The Queen's funeral: A timeline of what will happen

Over 2,000 people from around the world will gather at Westminster Abbey to honour the late Queen, who died on September the 8th aged 96, at her beloved Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

The state funeral will be a well-choreographed event. As is required of the monarch, the Queen was consulted on all the funeral arrangements before her death and signed off on each aspect of the day.

The event is likely to be one of biggest single events staged in Britain since Second World War and will be the first state funeral in the UK since Winston Churchill’s in 1965.

The Queen will be transported from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey and finally to Windsor Castle. Tens of thousands of people are expected to line the route in London, while millions of others watch the service which will be broadcast around the world.

At 6.30am The Queen's Lying-in-state came to an end. Following the closure, the doors of Westminster Hall closed in preparation for the procession to Westminster Abbey where the State Funeral service will take place.

At 8am, the doors of Westminster Abbey opened to allow guests to take their seats.

At 10.35am, The Queen's coffin will be lifted from the catafalque where it has stood since Thursday evening by pall-bearers of the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards. The coffin will be draped with the Royal Standard and the imperial state crown, orb and sceptre will be placed atop of the coffin before it can be moved from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey.

At 10.44am, The Queen is moved to Westminster Abbey. The route will be lined by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, and will go from Parliament Square to Broad Sanctuary and the Sanctuary.

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Lying-in-State Of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II At Westminster Hall — (Image credit: Photo by Yui Mok - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

King Charles III, along with his siblings the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex, will lead the procession to Westminster Abbey which will feature 200 musicians from the massed Pipes and Drums of Scottish and Irish Regiments, the Brigade of Gurkhas, and the Royal Air Force.

During the procession, The Queen’s coffin will be carried on the 123-year-old State Gun Carriage which will be towed by 98 Royal Navy sailors in place of horses.

At 10.52am, the Procession will arrive at the West Gate of Westminster Abbey. When there, pall bearers will left the coffin from the carriage and carry it into Westminster Abbey to begin the service.

The State Funeral service will begin at 11am, led by the Dean of Westminster. The Independent reports that prime minister Liz Truss and the secretary-general of the Commonwealth are both expected to give readings at the service.

At approximately 11.55am the service will end. The Last Post will sound, followed by a two-minutes' silence throughout the United Kingdom which will end with the National Anthem.

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Prince William, Prince of Wales, King Charles III, Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, Princess Anne, Princess Royal and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex walk behind the coffin during the procession for the Lying-in State of Queen Elizabeth II — (Image credit: Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

What will happen after The Queen's funeral?

Following the ending of the state funeral, at 12.15pm, The Queen's coffin will be followed by members of the royal family as a procession takes her to Wellington Arch while minute guns are fired in Hyde Park.

When the procession reaches the top of Constitution Hill at the Commonwealth Memorial Gates, The Queen's coffin will be driven to Windsor. A procession will follow behind, with The King, Prince William, Prince Harry, and other male members of the family walking along while the Queen Consort, the Princess of Wales, the Duchess of Sussex, and the Countess of Wessex follow by car.

At 3.06pm, the State Hearse carrying The Queen will approach Shaw Farm Gate on Albert Road, Windsor and the Procession will step off.

At 3.40pm, The King and those in the Procession will rejoin the hearse as it passes into Engine Court.

The Queen's committal service will then take place in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle at 4pm.

At 7.30pm the Queen will be buried in King George VI's chapel in Windsor Castle in a private service attended only by the King and members of the royal family.

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Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse is a news writer for Goodtoknow, specialising in family content. She began her freelance journalism career after graduating from Nottingham Trent University with an MA in Magazine Journalism, receiving an NCTJ diploma, and earning a First Class BA (Hons) in Journalism at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. She has also worked with BBC Good Food and The Independent.