PERIOD OF MOURNING
The Queen’s family and the world mourn the death of the monarch, who passed away at the age of 96. Dubbed ‘Operation London Bridge’, the protocol over the 10 days laid out what happened with the Queen’s funeral, rules around succession, and the period of mourning.
THURSDAY 8TH
The Royal Household notified the public of the Queen’s death by placing a notice on the gates of Buckingham Palace and other residences, and on the official website. Flags flew at half mast over the Houses of Parliament. Charles immediately became King Charles III and his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort. He issued a statement, saying: “The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family. We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world. During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held.”
DAY 0: FRIDAY 9TH
Although national mourning was to officially finish at the end of the day of her funeral on 19 September, The King asked that a period of grief be observed by members of The Royal Family for another seven days, to 26 September. The Queen's death is known as D-Day, with each subsequent day being named D+1 until the state funeral. However, since the announcement of her passing came at 6:31pm, Friday was considered Day 0.
DAY 1: SATURDAY 10TH
The Accession Council met at St James’s Palace, where they read out an official proclamation of the new king.
DAY 2: SUNDAY 11TH
The Queen’s coffin was transported from Balmoral Castle in Scotland to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen's official Scottish residence.
DAY 3: MONDAY 12TH
King Charles III promised to follow
the late Queen’s “selfless duty” in his first address as monarch to both Houses of Parliament. After the ceremony, the King and Queen Consort travelled to Edinburgh, before they continued on to the Palace of Holyroodhouse for the Ceremony of Keys. The trip marked the start of a royal mourning tour of all four nations of the UK.
DAY 4: TUESDAY 13TH
King Charles III continued his tour in Northern Ireland, visiting Hillsborough Castle.
DAY 5: WEDNESDAY 14TH
The lying in state began five days after Her Majesty’s death. A ceremonial procession carried the Queen’s coffin to Westminster Hall from Buckingham Palace. Members of the Royal Family and palace staff followed the procession on foot. Westminster Hall was opened to the public for 23 hours a day for visitors to pay their respects.
DAY 6: THURSDAY 15TH
Members of the Royal Family met members of the public across the United Kingdom. The Prince and Princess of Wales were in Sandringham, The Earl and Countess of Wessex in Manchester, and The Princess Royal in Glasgow.
DAY 7: FRIDAY 16TH
King Charles III led a moving vigil around the Queen’s coffin at Westminster Hall, with members of the Royal Family standing guard.
DAY 8: SATURDAY 17TH
Commonwealth officials, world leaders and dignitaries began arriving for the state funeral. The King met Governors General and Prime Ministers from the Commonwealth nations.
DAY 9: SUNDAY 18TH
On the eve of the funeral, King Charles III welcomed foreign royal families.
DAY 10: MONDAY 19TH
The State Funeral of Her Majesty The Queen took place at Westminster Abbey at 11am. The one-hour service was followed by a ceremonial procession where Her Majesty’s coffin was borne to Wellington Arch, via The Mall on the State Gun Carriage. The Queen was laid to rest together with the Duke of Edinburgh on Monday night at a private family service in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, located inside St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
WORLD LEADERS PAY RESPECTS
Australian Prime Minster Anthony Albanese was among the estimated 500 heads of state and dignitaries to attend the funeral. He said on Twitter: “Representatives from around the world joined the Royal Family and the British people in giving thanks for The Queen’s life and her example, saluting her devotion to duty, faith and family. It was a privilege to be part of the Australian delegation and a witness to history.”
FLOWERS 'FROM THE GARDEN'
King Charles III helped select the flowers for his mother's funeral wreath. Included were myrtle grown from the same plant that provided a sprig for her wedding bouquet in 1947; rosemary, a symbol of remembrance; and English Oak, a traditional symbol of strength. The flowers and plants were all picked from royal properties.
PRINCE GEORGE AND PRINCESS CHARLOTTE
Nine-year-old Prince George and sevenyear-old Princess Charlotte’s roles in their great-grandmother’s funeral represented a significant break from tradition. It was revealed the two young heirs to the throne would stand alongside their parents and other senior members of the Royal Family as they walked behind the Queen’s coffin in Westminster Abbey.
ROLE OF ABBEY'S FALCONER
In an effort to minimise disruptions throughout the service, every detail was considered, including whether pigeons would cause a scene. It’s for this reason that Westminster Abbey’s falconer had his Harris's Hawk, Rufus, patrol the church for four days leading up to the funeral. Falconer Wayne Davis has been helping the abbey since 1998. “I’ve been up in the roof controlling the pigeons,” he said. “[Rufus] usually has bells on but they’re too noisy so I’ve had to take them off today.”
A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP
Arguably the most striking moments of the Queen’s funeral came from the procession comprising the military, the Royal Family and others who have dedicated their lives to service of the Queen. The Queen had a special personal relationship with the military, serving as head of the armed forces and as their commander-in-chief. Thousands from the armed forces were involved in the proceedings: 4,000 in total, with 3,000 military personnel in central London and 1,000 in Windsor. These included regular and reserve soldiers, sailors, marines and aviators, as well as musicians from armed forces bands, marching along the route.
A TRIBUTE IN PEARLS
The Princess of Wales paid tribute to the Queen’s fondness for pearls with her choice of jewellery for the funeral. The Princess wore a simple black coat dress with black hat fitted with a netted mourning veil which she paired with a Japanese pearl choker necklace. The four strings of pearls were joined with a diamond clasp in the centre, a gift to the Queen from Japan in the 1970s. Many members of the Royal Family have worn the necklace before, including Princess Diana on a trip to the Netherlands in 1992. The new Princess of Wales also wore the choker to the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral in 2021.
THE CORGIS' FAREWELL
Amid all the ceremony of the Queen’s funeral, a number of personal moments shone through. The Queen’s affection for her corgis and horses was well known and her beloved pets stood by until her last departure. As the monarch’s funeral procession passed by the grounds of Windsor Castle, her black fell pony Emma stood by, held by head groom Terry Pendry, with whom the Queen often rode. Her two corgis, Sandy and Muick, waited patiently at the Windsor Castle entrance as her coffin was brought in.