State funeral of Queen Elizabeth II to be held on Sept 19

LONDON: The state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II will be held at Westminster Abbey on Sept 19, Buckingham Palace announced on Saturday.

The day of the state funeral will be a bank holiday, after King Charles III approved an order earlier in the day to that effect, Anadolu Agency reported.

"Prior to the State Funeral, The Queen will Lie-in-State in Westminster Hall for four days, to allow the public to pay their respects," the statement said.

The queen's coffin "will travel from Scotland by Royal Air Force aircraft from Edinburgh Airport" to London on Sept 13, it added.

The details of the funeral were released Saturday and the late queen was consulted on all the plans before her passing.

The queen's coffin is currently at Balmoral Castle, Scotland, where it is draped in the Standard of Scotland.

Staff at the castle will be allowed to pay their respects, before the coffin is transported to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, the Scottish capital, Sunday, where staff there will also be allowed to pay their respects. The journey is expected to take around six hours.

On Sept 12, the king and the queen consort will travel to Edinburgh and join the procession as the coffin is moved from the Palace of Holyroodhouse, through the Royal Mile, to St Giles Cathedral, where a service will take place. During the service, the Crown of Scotland will be placed on top of the coffin.

At St Giles Cathedral, the people of Scotland will be allowed to pay their respects.

On Sept 13, the queen's coffin will be flown from Edinburgh to London, then driven to Buckingham Palace. The coffin will be accompanied on its journey by Princess Anne, the king's sister.

On Sept 14, members of the Royal Family, including the king and the queen consort, will attend prayers in Buckingham Palace.

The queen's coffin will then be taken in procession, including the king and members of the Royal Family, to Westminster Hall. At this time, Big Ben will toll and there will be gun salutes.

The coffin will arrive at Westminster Hall at 3 pm, after which time the Archbishop of Canterbury will conduct a ceremony.

It is at Westminster Hall where the queen will lie in state for four days, until 6.30 am the day of the state funeral, for members of the public to pay their respects.

A Committal Service will be held at St George's Chapel, where the queen will be buried next to her husband, the late Prince Philip.

The queen died on Thursday in Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire, Scotland at the age of 96.

-- BERNAMA