The final journey of Queen Elizabeth II is nearing its end as her coffin arrives in London ahead of a state funeral.
Enormous crowds have gathered across the United Kingdom to pay their respects to the beloved monarch and the funeral will be watched around the world.
When and where is Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral?
A state funeral will be held Monday, September 19 at Westminster Abbey in London.
After the funeral, the coffin will travel in procession to Wellington Arch and then on to Windsor where the Queen will be laid to rest next to her husband, Prince Philip.
What time will the funeral start in Australia?
The Queen’s funeral at Westminster Abbey is expected to start just after 7.50pm AEST (10.50am in London).
More specifically, the coffin leaves the Palace of Westminster, where it is lying-in-state, at 7.44pm and arrives at the West Gate of Westminster Abbey at 7.52pm for the service to begin.
About 8.55pm Australian time, the Last Post will sound, followed by two minutes’ silence across the entire United Kingdom.
A commitment service will be held the same day at St George’s Chapel, on the grounds of Windsor Castle. This will be at 1am AEST (4pm local time).
A private burial will be held with the King and members of the royal family that evening.
Who will be there?
The royal family, including the Queen’s four children and grandchildren are expected to attend.
King Charles III, Camilla, Queen Consort, Prince William, Catherine, the Princess of Wales, Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan will be among the family members at Westminster Abbey.
World leaders and monarchs will also be among the many gathered to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Governor-General David Hurley will attend.
As will US President Joe Biden, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Japanese Emperor Naruhito, South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol and Brazilian President Jair Bolsanaro.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she will attend.
Members of Europe’s other royal families will also likely attend.
It is not known if former US Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump will attend.
In addition to the famous and powerful names in attendance will be 10 ‘ordinary and exceptional’ Australians. Click the gallery below to see who they are.
Will there be a public holiday in Australia?
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced Australians will be given a public holiday on September 22 to mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth II
The day will officially be called the “National Day of Mourning for Her Majesty The Queen”.
Why the Queen’s funeral is at Westminster Abbey
Her funeral will be the first state funeral in Britain since Sir Winston Churchill in January 1965.
And it will be the first funeral of a monarch at Westminster Abbey since King George II in 1760.
The first monarch to have a funeral at Westminster was Edward the Confessor in 1066.
Since 1760, the tradition has been for the funerals of a monarch to take place at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, where the Queen will be laid to rest after the state funeral.
But the Queen decided to break with tradition because of the special role Westminster Abbey has played throughout her life.
Her father, King George VI was coronated there in 1937.
She married Prince Philip there 10 years later.
And then in 1953 she had her own coronation there, crowned as Queen on June 2.
Royal tradition has dictated funerals for British monarchs be held at St George’s Chapel in Windsor.
However, the Queen said she wanted to break from tradition to have her funeral held in Westminster Abbey.