Ceremonial and events guidance following the death of Her Majesty The Queen
New details are being released about what to expect on Monday 19 September – Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.
Buckingham Palace has announced that the late Monarch made personal additions to her funeral plans, including a performance by her piper at a service in Windsor.
The state funeral at the world-famous Westminster Abbey on Monday is likely to be one of the biggest events in Britain since WW2. The funeral of Princess Diana, which was also held at the Abbey, is one of the world’s most-watched events.
Read the full article here: Queen’s death: New details released for Monday’s funeral
Queen’s death: Planning your visit to see the Monarch lying in state
Preparing for viewing the Queen’s coffin
Westminster has already put up crowd barriers and portable toilets as people have already started queuing.
How long are queues to see the Queen’s coffin?
Those wanting to file past the Queen’s coffin as she lies in state will be facing very long queues – possibly overnight. Most reports are claiming the queues could stretch more than five miles and the wait could be over 20 hours – with little chance of sitting down.
Culture secretary Michelle Donelan wrote to fellow MPs via WhatsApp this morning: ‘Queues could be up to 30 hours as we are obviously expecting and planning for unprecedented demand’, The Times reported.
Key facts about the Queen lying in waiting
- The Hall will be open 24 hours a day until 06:30 on Monday 19 Sept
- More than 1,500 soldiers will be deployed to help crowd control and more than 10,000 cops on the streets of London
- There are restrictions on what can be taken into the Hall (see below)
How many people will be in London to see the Queen’s coffin?
Over one million people are expected to descend on London to see the Queen lying in state ahead of her funeral in Westminster Abbey.
If the latest speculated figures from Whitehall are correct, the number is far higher than the 200,000 who came to see the Queen Mother’s coffin as it was lying in state in 2002.
Preparing for your visit to see the Queen lying in state
You will face airport-style security with tight restrictions on what you can take in as visitors file past the coffin.
To prepare for security screening, all items such as mobile phones, keys, small change, belts, heavy jewellery and watches must be placed into your bag or jacket pocket if you have one.
Parliament instructions – a comprehensive list of items that will be confiscated if you try to bring them near or inside Westminister Hall.
Read the full story: Queen’s death: Planning your visit to see the Monarch lying in state