Queen Elizabeth II was Britain’s longest-reigning monarch who ruled the country for 70 years- from 1952 to 2022. Buckingham Palace announced the news of her death on Thursday as she took her last breath at the age of 96. The royal family has been planning Queen Elizabeth funeral for several years now as they want everything to transition smoothly after her death.
It has been 70 years since we last witnessed a changeover in the monarchy of Britain. Thus, it is not surprising that people have hundreds of questions about the funeral and what’s going to happen next.
Here’s everything that will take place in the upcoming days including details of the Queen’s funeral and King Charles’s coronation.
Queen Elizabeth Funeral – Operation London Bridge
A secret plan for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral was in the works for several years. It includes a “spontaneous” memorial service which the Prime Minister will attend along with preparations for any sort of crisis such as mourners overcrowding London.
Operation London Bridge covers everything that will happen within the first ten days of the Queen’s passing. From bells ringing to gun salutes, everything has been planned
All the details of the Queen’s funeral according to Operation London Bridge are mentioned down below.
Time and Location of Queen Elizabeth Funeral
The funeral will take place after ten days of her death. This is the traditional national mourning period.
The funeral will most likely take place at Westminster Abbey. No sovereign has had their funeral ceremony there since 1960 and Queen Elizabeth’s funeral will be the first one there after 62 years.
Westminster Abbey has space for 2,200 congregants. However, the seating can be expanded to accommodate over 8000 people (this was done during the Queen’s coronation.)
After the funeral, King Charles is expected to tour the U.K. He will also visit Wales and Northern Ireland.
Queen Elizabeth’s Burial
The Queen’s burial will take place at St. George’s Chapel in a private affair. The Chapel is located in Windsor Castle which is where she spent her final years.
Additionally, Queen Elizabeth will be buried beside Prince Phillip – her husband, King George VI- her father, and Princess Margaret- her sister.
Public Memorial
The public will most likely get opportunities to pay their respects to their Queen. We are still waiting for Buckingham Palace to reveal more information regarding this in the coming days.
Prince Charles Coronation
Charles is King of England now. The Accession Council will probably meet in London after a day of the Queen’s death. They will formally announce news of Charles taking over the throne.
As for the coronation ceremony, it will not take place for several months. A lot of time and effort goes into executing the perfect ceremony and you shouldn’t expect to see it any time soon. As a reminder, Queen Elizabeth’s coronation took place fourteen months after she became Queen. However, we are expecting King Charles’s coronation within the next year.
Along with Charles, his wife Camilla will also receive her new title as Queen Consort.
