On September 19, the Westminster Abbey will witness the poignant moments of Queen Elizabeth's funeral in the presence of dignitaries from all over the world. The ceremony, which will begin around 11 am BST (IST 3:30 pm), will start a little after the procession of the mortal remains from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey. However, the doors of the Abbey will be opened to the guests much earlier.
Interestingly, breaking a 300-year-old custom, the Queen's funeral ceremony is being held in the Abbey, the same place where her own coronation was held in 1953, instead of the St George’s Chapel in Windsor.
The procession
The queen's coffin will be moved to the Westminster Abbey from the Hall around 10:44 BST (IST 3:14 pm). A State Gun Carriage of the Royal Navy, drawn by 142 sailors, will carry her coffin to the Abbey, accompanied by senior members of the Royal Family, including King Charles III and his sons Prince William and Prince Harry. The procession is expected to take less than 10 minutes, and the Royal Navy and Royal Marines will line the route. A guard of honour will stand in Parliament Square made up of all three military services, according to BBC News.
The ceremony
For the first time since the 18th century, the Westminster Abbey will witness a funeral ceremony of a monarch. The service will be conducted by the Dean of Westminster David Hoyle, with the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby giving the sermon. Prime Minister Liz Truss will read a lesson. The funeral service will last for an hour and will end with the national anthem and a lament played by the Queen's piper.
Procession through London
After the service, the Queen's mortal remains will be taken in a walking procession from the Abbey to Wellington Arch, at London's Hyde Park Corner. Thousands are expected to line up the road to watch the procession as the Big Ben will toll at one-minute interval. Camilla, the Queen Consort, the Princess of Wales, the Countess of Wessex and the Duchess of Sussex will join the procession in cars.
On arrival at Wellington Arch, the coffin will be transferred to the new state hearse for its final journey to Windsor Castle. After a walking procession up Windsor Castle's Long Walk, the hearse will move through the castle to the chapel.
The burial
The St George's Chapel is where the royal weddings, christenings and funerals are done. It was where Queen's late husband Prince Philip's funeral was held. Prince Harry and Meghan, too, got married at the same church.
Queen Elizabeth will be buried in the presence of a smaller congregation of about 800 guests with Dean of Windsor David Conner conducting the committal service.
After a service that will symbolise the end of Queen's reign, her mortal remains will be lowered into the royal vault. According to the BBC report, the Sovereign's piper will play before a blessing, as personally requested by the Queen herself.
The service will end around 4:45 pm BST (IST 9:15 pm) as the King and members of the Royal Family will leave the chapel.
The queen's final resting place is near where her mother and father were buried, and where the ashes of her sister, Princess Margaret, are kept. Though Prince Philip was buried in the Royal Vault at St George's, his remains will now be moved to the memorial chapel to join the Queen.
