Queen Elizabeth II’s death on 8 September at Balmoral Castle in Scotland at the age of 96 marked the end of her 70-year reign, the longest in British history, and prompted an outpouring of public mourning. Her son, ascending the throne as King Charles III, was proclaimed king at St James’s Palace in London on 10 September and declared a 10-day national mourning period ahead of her state funeral on 19 September.
Ahead of the funeral, multiple funerary events will take place across the country. The ceremonies will begin in Scotland, starting with a motorcade from Balmoral Castle, Aberdeenshire, to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh on 11 September. Multiple road closures are planned for the planned six-hour funeral motorcade, starting at 10:00 local time from Balmoral Castle to Aberdeen via the A93, Aberdeen to Stonehaven via the A92, Stonehaven to Dundee via the A90, Dundee to Perth via the Kingsway and A90 and Perth to Edinburgh via the M90 and Queensferry Crossing, ending at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. A procession will then be held from the palace via the Royal Mile to St Giles’ Cathedral on 12 September. The queen’s coffin will finally be flown from Edinburgh Airport (EDI/EGPH) to London on 13 September. King Charles III will address the Scottish Parliament during this time.
Upon arrival in London, the queen’s coffin will be moved to Buckingham Palace, where thousands of mourners have thronged to the gates to pay their respects since her death was announced. Royal officials confirmed that Queen Elizabeth II will then lie in state at Westminster Hall in London from 14-18 September. The queue for the lying in state viewing starts in London’s Southwark Park, proceeding along the Albert Embankment over Lambeth Bridge to the Victoria Tower Gardens at the Palace of Westminster.
During the mourning period, the new king will undertake his first official visits to the other constituent realms of the United Kingdom (UK). Heightened security and road closures are expected at George Best (BHD/EGAC) and Belfast (BFS/EGAA) airports, Hillsborough Castle in County Down and the Northern Ireland Assembly (Stormont) and St Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 13 September and then on 16 September in Wales at Llandaff Cathedral, the Welsh Parliament (Senedd) in Cardiff, Cardiff Airport (CWL/EGFF) and Cardiff Castle.
The state funeral will be held in Westminster Abbey in London on 19 September, beginning with a procession from Westminster Hall, a mass at the abbey and ending with the queen’s burial at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle in Windsor, Berkskire. Multiple foreign leaders including the Emperor of Japan and the US and French presidents will attend. A bank holiday will be observed on 19 September, with most businesses closed and reduced transportation services operating. While most civic groups and trade unions have cancelled previously planned demonstrations and strikes during the mourning period, spontaneous demonstrations in connection with the royal family or other political developments cannot be ruled out. Some 10,000 additional police officers will be deployed to transport hubs and other public facilities as hundreds of thousands of people are expected on the grounds of the Palace of Westminster in London for the public viewing of the late queen.
Road closures are planned along the routes of all royal processions. Additional trains and buses will run to accommodate mourners arriving to London for her lying in state on 14-18 September. Aviation authorities warned travellers to anticipate flight disruptions at London Heathrow (LHR/EGLL), Stansted (STN/EGSS), Gatwick (LGW/EGKK), Luton (LTN/EGGW), City (LCY/EGLC), Biggin Hill (BQH/E GKB) and Southend (SEN/EGMC) airports from 13-19 September, due to increased passenger volume, planned airspace closures and the arrival of foreign dignitaries’ flights.
London’s transport commissioner Andy Byford said: “At such an important and difficult time for the country, we are doing everything we can to ensure Londoners and visitors can pay their respects to Her Majesty the Queen and welcome His Majesty the King.
“We are working with our partners to keep our city moving smoothly and to ensure that everyone who needs to get around or is planning to attend the memorial events can do so safely.
“I would urge all customers to check before they travel, using the TfL website or TfL Go app, as while we’re planning to run a normal service, there may be short notice changes and diversions as a result of the large number of people travelling and necessary road closures.”