Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving monarch in the UK, died aged 96 at Balmoral. What can we expect over the next 10 days prior to her funeral.

In a statement released by Buckingham Palace on Thursday 8 September 2022, it was announced that the Queen had died peacefully at her home at Balmoral, surrounded by her family, following a 70 year reign.

How is the death of Queen Elizabeth II announced to the public?

The official announcement to the public will have come after a series of announcements to high level officials, including the Prime Minister, Liz Truss, by the Queen's private secretary.

This is followed by all flags across the royal residences, Whitehall and other significant buildings being lowered to half-mast. The majority of Government websites will change to show a black banner, alongside the Royal Family's website which is changed to a black holding page with a short statement.

Will there be any other announcements or significant events to mark the death of Queen Elizabeth?

It is traditional to fix the framed formal announcement of the death to the railings outside Buckingham Palace.

The bells at Westminster Abbey and St Paul's Cathedral will toll at midday on Friday 9 September 2022. There will also be ceremonial gun salutes at Hyde Park and Tower Hill, alongside a national minute's silence.

When will Queen Elizabeth II funeral take place?

There will be a service attended by the royal family at St Giles' Cathedral on D-day+3 where the public will be able to visit for 24 hours before the Queen is moved to London to lie in state.

The Queen will lie in state, at Westminster Hall, from D-day+5 (Wednesday 14th September 2022). Her coffin will be taken from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall for 4 days. There will be a procession following the hearse, which is likely to be made up of her son, King Charles III and other members of the royal family. For a royal lying in state, the coffin is draped in a royal flag, usually a personal standard, and rests on a catafalque - a raised platform covered with a purple cloth, flanked by a military guard around the clock. This is an opportunity for members of the public to pay their respects. It is expected that Westminster Hall will be open to the public for 23 hours a day.

It is believed that the funeral for Queen Elizabeth II will take place 10 days after her death. *Edit. Since this blog was published, it has since been announced that the funeral will take place on Monday 19th September. It was been confirmed that this will be a National Bank Holiday to allow people to pay their respects to the Queen.

The funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey, following a procession from Westminster Hall. There will be a two minute silence across the nation. The service usually lasts for one hour, a large ceremonial procession will accompany the coffin to Hyde Park. The coffin will be transferred from a gun carriage to a state hearse and travel to Windsor. A committal service will be held at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle where the coffin will be lowered into the royal vault.

Can I leave a message of condolence for the Queen Elizabeth II and her family?

There is an online book of condolence, which can be found at https://www.royal.uk/ or alternatively there will be physical books opened across the country for you to write a message of sympathy.