The State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II: The tale of the final farewell to Her Majesty

Details and images of the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on Monday 19th September, 2022.

How the day of The Queen’s funeral unfolded

6:30am — Lying-in-State comes to a close, as huge crowds converge on London

Many thousands of people camped out overnight on the route of The Queen’s funeral procession.

8:00am — Mourners begin to arrive at Westminster Abbey

The congregation began to arrive at Westminster Abbey from early in the morning, with French and US presidents Emmanuel Macron and Joe Biden among those taking their seats by 10am.

 

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10:30am — Present and former Prime Ministers of Great Britain arrive

In order of when they took office, John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson proceed in to Westminster Abbey, followed by Liz Truss.

10:40am — The Queen’s Coffin moved out of Westminster Hall onto the State Gun Carriage

10:44am — Coffin procession to Westminster Abbey

The coffin is borne in Procession on the State Gun Carriage of the Royal Navy from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey for the State Funeral.

Immediately following the Coffin are The King, Members of the Royal Family and members of The King’s Household.

What the note said on the top of The Queen’s coffin

Atop the Coffin is a single note from The King, attached to a wreath of flowers, which reads: ‘In loving and devoted memory. Charles R.’

The wreath is made from flowers taken from the gardens at Buckingham Palace, Clarence House, and The King’s country home, Highgrove.

10:52am — Arrival at Westminster Abbey

The Procession will arrive at the West Gate of Westminster Abbey at 10:52am, where the Bearer Party — made up from soldiers of The Queen’s Company 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards — lifted the coffin from the State Gun Carriage and carry it into the Abbey for the State Funeral Service.

11:00 am — The coffin is brought into The Abbey

At precisely 11:00am, the coffin passes the threshold of The Abbey, accompanied by the ethereal beauty of The Choir of Westminster Abbey singing The Sentences.

11:05 am — The Bidding

The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle MBE, Dean of Westminster, gives the Bidding:

In grief and also in profound thanksgiving we come to this House of God, to a place of prayer, to a church where remembrance and hope are sacred duties. Here, where Queen Elizabeth was married and crowned, we gather from across the nation, from the Commonwealth, and from the nations of the world, to mourn our loss, to remember her long life of selfless service, and in sure confidence to commit her to the mercy of God our maker and redeemer.

With gratitude we remember her unswerving commitment to a high calling over so many years as Queen and Head of the Commonwealth. With admiration we recall her life-long sense of duty and dedication to her people. With thanksgiving we praise God for her constant example of Christian faith and devotion. With affection we recall her love for her family and her commitment to the causes she held dear. Now, in silence, let us in our hearts and minds recall our many reasons for thanksgiving, pray for all members of her family, and commend Queen Elizabeth to the care and keeping of almighty God.

Merciful God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the resurrection and the life; in whom whosoever believeth shall live, though he die; and whosoever liveth, and believeth in him, shall not die eternally; who hast taught us, by his holy Apostle Saint Paul, not to be sorry, as men without hope, for them that sleep in him: We meekly beseech thee, O Father, to raise us from the death of sin unto the life of righteousness; that, when we shall depart this life, we may rest in him, as our hope is this our sister doth; and that, at the general Resurrection in the last day, we may be found acceptable in thy sight; and receive that blessing, which thy well-beloved Son shall then pronounce to all that love and fear thee, saying, Come, ye blessed children of my Father, receive the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. Grant this, we beseech thee, O merciful Father, through Jesus Christ, our mediator and redeemer. Amen.

11:10 am — First hymn

The congregation sings The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, Is Ended.

11:15 am — First reading

The Right Honourable the Baroness Scotland of Asthal KC, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, reads the first lesson, 1 Corinthians 15: 20–26, 53–end, followed by the Choir singing Psalm 42: 1–7 to music composed by Judith Weir for the service.

11:20 a.m. — Second Reading

Prime Minister Liz Truss reads the second lesson, John 14: 1–9a., followed by the second hymn, The Lord Is My Shepherd.

11:26 a.m. — The Sermon by the Archbishop of Canterbury

The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby gives the sermon, beginning with a nod to her famous 21st birthday broadcast in which she pledged her life to the service of her people, as long as she lived. ‘Rarely has a promise been so well kept,’ he said.

‘Her Majesty’s example was not set by her ambition, or her position, but by whom she followed,’ added the Archbishop.

‘Those who serve will be remembered long after those who cling to power are long forgotten.’

11:32 a.m. — The Anthem

From Songs of Farewell, with words by Harry Vaughan set to music by Hubert Parry.

11:35 a.m. — Prayers

Read by The Reverend Dr Iain Greenshields, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland; Ms Shermara Fletcher, Principal Officer for Pentecostal and Charismatic Relations, Churches Together in England; The Right Reverend and Right Honourable Dame Sarah Mullally DBE, Bishop of London and Dean of His Majesty’s Chapels Royal; The Reverend Canon Helen Cameron, Moderator of the Free Churches Group; His Eminence Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster; The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York, Primate of England and Metropolitan; and Reverend Mark Birch, Precentor of Westminster Abbey.

11:42 a.m. — Choir sings O Taste and See

The choir sings Vaughan Williams’s O Taste and See, followed by The Precentor leading the congregation in The Lord’s Prayer.

11:45 a.m. — Third hymn

Love Divine, All Loves Excelling is sung by the congregation.

11:50 a.m. — The Commendation

The Archbishop of Canterbury gives The Commendation:

Let us commend to the mercy of God, our maker and redeemer, the soul of Elizabeth, our late Queen.

Heavenly Father, King of kings, Lord and giver of life, who of thy grace in creation didst form mankind in thine own image, and in thy great love offerest us life eternal in Christ Jesus; claiming the promises of thy most blessed Son, we entrust the soul of Elizabeth, our sister here departed, to thy merciful keeping, in sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life, when Christ shall be all in all; who died and rose again to save us, and now liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, in glory for ever. Amen.

O forth, O Christian soul, from this world, in the name of God the Father almighty, who created thee; in the name of Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who suffered for thee; in the name of the Holy Spirit, who was poured out upon thee and anointed thee. In communion with all the blessed saints, and aided by the angels and archangels and all the armies of the heavenly host, may thy portion this day be in peace, and thy dwelling in the heavenly Jerusalem. Amen.

11:52 a.m. — The Choir sings The Anthem

Romans 8: 35a, 38b–end, set to music by Sir James MacMillan, composed for the service.

11:55 a.m. — The Blessing

The Blessing is given by the Dean of Westminster

God grant to the living grace; to the departed rest; to the Church, The King, the Commonwealth, and all people, peace and concord, and to us sinners, life everlasting; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.

11:56 a.m. — The Last Post, two-minute silence and the Reveille

12:00 p.m. — The National Anthem

The congregation, and millions of people around the world, sing two verses of the National Anthem:

God save our gracious King,
long live our noble King,
God save The King.
Send him victorious,
happy and glorious,
long to reign over us:
God save The King.

Thy choicest gifts in store
on him be pleased to pour,
long may he reign.
May he defend our laws,
and ever give us cause
to sing with heart and voice:
God save The King!

12:02 p.m. — The Bagpiper plays Sleep, Dearie, Sleep

The Queen’s Piper — Warrant Officer Class 1 (Pipe Major) Paul Burns — plays the traditional tune on bagpipes, followed by the procession of the coffin out of Westminster Abbey.

12:05 p.m. — The Coffin’s final procession through London

After the service Her Majesty’s Coffin is carried back through Westminster Abbey to the State Gun Carriage, and taken on a procession to Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner. This takes approximately an hour.

The King and members of the Royal Family follow the coffin in a procession including representatives of the armed forces from across the Commonwealth.

Minute Guns — literally guns that are fired once every minute — will be fired in Hyde Park by The King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, and Big Ben will toll throughout the duration of the procession.

Thousands of people line the streets, many of whom had camped out overnight on Sunday to make sure they were there to witness the scene.

1:30pm —  The Queen’s coffin transferred to a hearse

At Wellington Arch, the coffin is placed in a hearse for the trip to Windsor. As the hearse leaves, the parade gives a Royal Salute and the national anthem is played.

 

His Majesty The King and and the Royal Family depart for Windsor.

3:05 p.m. — The Queen’s hearse reaches Windsor

On arrival on the outskirts of at Windsor, the hearse joined a procession on Albert Road to travel via the Long Walk to St George’s Chapel, Windsor for the Committal Service.

Members of the Royal Family join the procession in the Quadrangle at Windsor Castle. Minute Guns are fired on the East Lawn of Windsor Castle by The King’s Troop and Royal Horse Artillery. The Sebastopol Bell and the Curfew Tower Bell are both tolled, while thousands of people line the side of the road, throwing flowers in the path of the car.

The Procession will halt at the bottom of the West Steps of St. George’s Chapel where a Guard of Honour forms from members of the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards. The Queen’s Coffin is borne in Procession into the Chapel.

4:00pm — The Queen’s Committal Service begins at Windsor

The Committal Service begins at four o’clock with a congregation including His Majesty The King, the Royal Family, and past and present members of The Queen’s Household, including from the private estates. The Governors General and Realm Prime Ministers will also attend.

The Service is conducted by the Dean of Windsor, with prayers will be said by the Rector of Sandringham, the Minister of Crathie Kirk and the Chaplain of Windsor Great Park.

The Choir of St George’s Chapel will sing during the service, and then, prior to the final hymn, the Imperial State Crown, the Orb and the Sceptre are removed from Her Majesty The Queen’s Coffin, and placed on the altar.

At the end of the final hymn, The King places The Queen’s Company Camp Colour of the Grenadier Guards on Her Majesty’s Coffin. At the same time, The Lord Chamberlain “breaks” his Wand of Office and places it on the coffin, symbolising the end of his service to The Queen.

The Queen’s coffin is then lowered into the Royal Vault, on an automated platform which sinks out of view.  As this happens the Dean of Windsor says a Psalm and the Commendation before Garter King of Arms pronounces Her Majesty’s styles and titles.

The Sovereign’s Piper plays his lament, and the Archbishop of Canterbury pronounces the blessing, after which the national anthem is sung, and the service comes to an end.

You can read the full order of service for the Committal Service here (PDF file).

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What happens after The Queen’s funeral

Monday evening — Private burial service for The Queen

The Queen is to be buried together with The Duke of Edinburgh in the King George VI Memorial Chapel inside St George’s. A private burial will take place in the chapel on Monday evening, conducted by the Dean of Windsor.

The period of national mourning to last until a week after the funeral

‘Following the death of Her Majesty The Queen, it is His Majesty The King’s wish that a period of Royal Mourning be observed from now until seven days after The Queen’s Funeral,’ a Royal Family statement said on Friday morning.

His Majesty’s coronation expected to take place in early summer of 2023

King Charles III’s coronation ceremony will likely follow the pattern of recent new monarchs by taking place late in the spring or early in the summer of the following year. Edward VII was crowned 16 months after the death of Queen Victoria; George V was crowned 13 months after his father’s death; George V was crowned in May 1937, having come to the throne the previous winter; and Elizabeth II’s was held on June 2, 1953, just under 16 months after taking the throne.

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Who attended the Queen’s funeral?

Her Majesty’s State Funeral is attended by:

• Heads of state, overseas government representatives, Governors General, Realm Prime Ministers and other representatives of the Realms and the Commonwealth
• Foreign royal families
• The Orders of Chivalry including recipients of the Victoria Cross and George Cross, Government, Parliament, devolved Parliaments and Assemblies, the Church, and Her Majesty’s Patronages, along with other public representatives.
• Almost 200 people recognised in The Queen’s Birthday Honours this year will also join the congregation, including those who made extraordinary contributions to the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and have volunteered in their local communities.

Who performed the Queen’s funeral service, and who did the readings?

You can read the full order of service for The Queen’s funeral here (PDF file), including details of all the participants, music and hymns.

The funeral was conducted by the Dean of Westminster. The Prime Minister and the Secretary General of the Commonwealth read lessons.

Prayers were read by The Archbishop of York, the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and the Free Churches Moderator.

The Sermon was given by the Archbishop of Canterbury, who also gave the Commendation. The Dean of Westminster pronounced the Blessing.

The hymns were The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, Is Ended; The Lord is my Shepherd; Love Divine, All Loves Excelling, while the National Anthem was sung at the end of the service.

The Floral Tribute area dedicated to the Queen Elizabeth II in Green Park. (Photo by Laura Lezza/Getty Images)

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How events unfolded following Her Majesty’s death

King Charles III addressed the nation on Friday

The King and Queen Consort returned to London on Friday morning, where His Majesty held an audience with the Prime Minister. The King then made his first address to the nation, at 6pm. There was a 96-gun salute to The Queen at Hyde Park, as well as other similar events at the Tower of London, Edinburgh Castle, Cardiff, and around the country and Commonwealth.

His Majesty officially proclaimed King on Saturday

HRH The Prince of Wales, became His Majesty The King at the moment of Her Majesty’s death, but there was an official proclamation ceremony by the Accession Council on Saturday at St James’s Palace. The Council is made up from around 200 of the approximately 700 Privy counsellors, led by Penny Mordaunt in her role as Lord President of the Council. Also present were the Duke of Cambridge, the Prime Minister, other ministers of state and the Archbishop of Canterbury, among others.

Flags flown at full mast for a day to honour the new monarch

To mark King Charles’s accession to the throne, flags were flown at full mast for 24 hours from Saturday at 1pm. After that, they returned to half mast until the morning after The Queen’s funeral.

The Queen’s coffin moved to Edinburgh on Sunday

Her Majesty’s coffin moved from Balmoral to the Throne Room at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh on Sunday morning. On Monday, it moved as part of a procession including the King and the Royal Family to St Giles’s Cathedral, followed by a service of thanksgiving in the Scottish capital.

Watch the Service of Thanksgiving for The Queen on YouTube

It remained there for 24 hours, where it’s reported that 33,000 members of the public, many of whom queued throughout the night, paid their respects.

The Queen was flown to London to lie in state

On Tuesday evening the coffin was flown to London. Her Majesty’s Coffin departed in a Royal Air Force aircraft from Edinburgh Airport in the early evening, arriving into RAF Northolt.

HRH The Princess Royal accompanied by her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, travelled with the coffin on its journey along this route:

• A40
• Eastbourne Terrace
• Lancaster Gate
• Bayswater Road
• Marble Arch,
• Park Lane
• Hyde Park Corner
• Constitution Hill
• Centre Gate Centre Arch of Buckingham Palace

In London, thousands of people lined the streets and cars came to a standstill, as members of the public watched Her Majesty’s coffin pass by.

It was then taken to Buckingham Palace where it sat in the Bow Room as The Queen’s family and staff had a chance to pay their respects.

On Wednesday, the coffin was draped in the Royal Standard and taken to Westminster Hall in a large, televised procession, accompanied by the Royal Family and a military parade, with members of the public lining the route. After arrival and a short ceremony, the official lying-in-state began.

What happened during The Queen’s Lying-in-State

From 5pm on Wednesday 14 September until 6:30am on Monday 19 September, hundreds of thousands of people filed past the coffin.

Well-wishers queued for as much as 24 hours in a constantly moving line, with very little chance to sit or rest.

• To take part, mourners had to find and join the back of the queue, with  The Department for Digital Culture, Media and Sport’s Twitter and Facebook channels will posting updates on the whereabouts of the back of the queue.
• The DCMS also produced this map of the route to queue for Lying-in-State (PDF download). The queueing route went all the way from the Palace of Westminster over Lambeth Bridge (n.b. NOT Westminster Bridge, which is the bridge nearest Big Ben) before snaking all the way back along the South Bank heading east until Bermondsey, several miles away.
• On reaching the back of the queue, well-wishers were given a non-transferrable wristband to show that they had properly joined the queue.
• Lying-in-State was open 24 hours a day until 6:30a.m. on Monday, the day of the funeral.
• Only one bag per person WAS allowed, with some restrictions on what you’ll be able to bring to the Lying-in-State.
• There were places along the route to buy food and drink, but many brought their own provisions as they took part in a queue that became a phenomenon across the world, with many travelling to London not to join the queue, but just to have seen it with their own eyes.

Once inside the 11th century Westminster Hall, mourners witnessed The Queen’s coffin draped in the Royal Standard and sitting on a catafalque — a raised platform — inside Westminster Hall, in the Houses of Parliament. The Orb and Sceptre from the Crown Jewels were placed on top.

Soldiers from the Sovereign’s Bodyguard, the Household Division and the Yeoman Warders of the Tower of London guarded the coffin, with one stationed at each corner at all times. Additionally, members of the Royal Family — including His Majesty The King — also took part in the vigil.

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