Queen Elizabeth II has passed away, aged 96, and will lie in state in Edinburgh, Scotland and then Westminster, England during a period of mourning.
The mourning period, which begins on Friday, September 9, will see union flags lowered and flown at half-mast across all royal residences including Buckingham Palace and Sandringham, as well as in government, British embassy and military buildings.
According to the .gov.uk website, half-mast means ‘the flag is flown a third of the way down the flagpole from the top, with at least the height of the flag between the top of the flag and the top of the flagpole’.
On Friday, Buckingham Palace announced that the period of royal mourning will be observed from now until seven days after the Queen's funeral. This means the mourning period will last a total of 17 days.
Here's everything you need to know about the Queen's mourning period:
Where will King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort travel to following the Queen’s death?
King Charles III and his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, are expected to return to London on Friday after paying their respects with loved ones to the Queen on Thursday evening at Balmoral, where the Queen passed away.
On Friday, Charles is expected to meet with the newly-appointed Prime Minister Liz Truss and begin funeral arrangements. From midday on Friday, MPs will likely pay their own respects to the Queen in the Commons, in addition to a session on Saturday afternoon. The sitting has been pushed back from the usual time of 9.30am.
The government is not expected to announce any other non-urgent business in order to allow focus to be given solely towards the Queen.
The Independent reports that the Saturday session will see senior political figureheads swear an oath of loyalty to the new King.
Liz Truss and several senior ministers are expected to attend a public service of remembrance at St Paul's Cathedral on Friday.
The government will likely confirm the length of national mourning period, which will last from now until the Queen's funeral.
When will Charles officially become King?
Charles is already officially King, but will formally be declared as such by the Accession Council. Thereafter a proclamation will be read at St James’s Palace.
On Friday, King Charles is likely to meet the Earl Marshal – otherwise known as the Duke of Norfolk – who will make the Queen's funeral preparations.
In the evening, the new monarch will then address the nation on television, pay his respects to his mother and pledge to serve the Crown and serve as head of state.
Sky News reports that, in central London, 96 rounds of gun salutes will be fired in tribute to the late monarch, each marking the years of the Queen’s life.
King Charles will then begin a tour of the UK home nations including Northern Ireland and Wales.
What will happen in the lead up to the Queen’s funeral?
The Queen’s body will lie in St Giles’ cathedral in Edinburgh for 24 hours, where the public are expected to pay their respects. Following the King and the Queen Consort’s visit to London, they are then expected to return to Scotland.
After 24 hours, the Queen will be moved to London. Her coffin is expected to lie in state for three days at Westminster Hall ahead of her state funeral at Westminster Abbey, which will be presided over by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The Queen will be laid to rest at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, where her husband, the late Prince Philip, and her parents, the Queen Mother and George VI, are buried.
Will the Queen’s funeral and King’s coronation be national holidays?
Yes, they will both be national holidays. The government will announce that the funeral day will be a public holiday in the form of a Day of National Mourning on Friday.
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Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
