As the Royal Family and the U.K. government finalize plans for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral on Sept. 19, her coffin arrived in London on Tuesday. Up to a million Britons and other royal fans from around the world are expected to line up at Westminster Hall and say farewell to Britain’s longest-reigning monarch this week.
We’re answering your questions about what to watch for in the coming days — and how to be a part of remembering the Queen.
What happens while the Queen is lying in state?
From Wednesday until Monday, the Queen’s closed coffin will rest on a raised platform inside the U.K. Parliament’s Westminster Hall. The public can visit 24 hours a day to pay their respects, and massive lineups are expected — people may have to stand for up to 20 hours in an eight-kilometre line to get in the door, The Times reported. No chairs or blankets will be allowed in the line to ensure it keeps flowing as quickly as possible.
The British government says those hoping to pay their respects will face “airport-style security,” and the lengthy list of rules also includes bans on taking photos, wearing clothing with political slogans or leaving flowers or other tributes.
What’s special about the Queen’s casket?
The Queen’s English oak coffin was constructed some 30 years ago, alongside a coffin for her late husband, Prince Philip, London undertakers Leverton & Sons told The Times in 2018.
Following a centuries-old tradition for royals, the Queen’s coffin is lined with lead, which helps prevent a body from decomposing for longer. The lead also makes the coffin significantly heavier, meaning eight pallbearers will be needed to carry it.
While lying in state, it will be draped with the Royal Standard flag, with the Imperial State Crown and the Sovereign’s orb and sceptre laid on top.
What will happen during the funeral?
The Queen’s state funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey on Monday. It will be the first time a monarch’s funeral has been held there since 1760, although funerals for the Queen Mother and Princess Diana took place inside the abbey in 2002 and 1997, respectively.
At 10:44 a.m. local time (5:44 a.m. ET), the coffin’s procession from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey will begin. It will be transported on a gun carriage pulled by navy sailors, with senior members of the Royal Family expected to follow on foot.
The funeral service will begin at 11 a.m. local time and last an hour. The exact details of what will take place are yet to be confirmed by Buckingham Palace, including whether the Queen made any special requests.
“I’m expecting a grandchild will say something, maybe a poem, something that will personalize it a little bit,” royal commentator Bonnie Brownlee said. “We could expect some surprises if they decide to switch it up a little bit, like maybe one or two things that are quite emotional in the service, but … I think they’ll leave a lot of that to only the family to know [in advance].”
It will be the first time the public has been able to watch a monarch’s funeral service. Although King George VI’s funeral procession in 1952 was televised, cameras were excluded from the service itself.
“We’re going to be seeing rituals televised for the first time that go back to the Tudors and the Stuarts of the 1500s and 1600s,” Justin Vovk, a royal history expert and PhD candidate at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., said.
“[The royals] want this sense of a continuing institution that is unchanged over the passage of time in terms of stability, and that is something that having consistent rituals at a funeral does.”
Who will attend the funeral?
Members of the Royal Family and dignitaries from around the world will be there, although it’s not clear whether the Queen’s youngest great-grandchildren will attend. As Westminster Abbey has a maximum capacity of 2,200, the government has told other countries that only their leader, plus their spouse or another dignitary, may attend.
Ralph Goodale, Canada’s high commissioner to the U.K., told The Canadian Press that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Gov. Gen. Mary Simon would attend. U.S. President Joe Biden will be at the funeral with his wife, Jill, while the prime ministers of Australia and New Zealand will be accompanied by their countries’ governors general.
Foreign royals, politicians and other VIPs have been asked to take commercial flights instead of private jets and were told they will be put on buses to Westminster Abbey, according to documents reported by Politico, although it’s not clear how many dignitaries will follow those requests. A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Liz Truss told The Guardian that “arrangements for different leaders will vary.”
Where will the Queen be buried?
Following Monday’s funeral, another procession will take the Queen’s coffin from Westminster Abbey to St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, where she will be buried in the King George VI memorial chapel alongside her parents, her sister, Princess Margaret, and husband Prince Philip, during a private service for Royal Family members.
