Funeral for Queen Elizabeth II to be held September 19

The state funeral for Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II will take place a week from Monday at Westminster Abbey, and she will lie in state in Westminster Hall from Wednesday, Buckingham Palace has announced.

Britain’s longest-serving monarch died peacefully Thursday at her Scottish country estate in Balmoral.

Earlier Saturday, King Charles III gave the order for a public holiday across the United Kingdom for the day of the funeral.

The Queen currently rests in the ballroom at Balmoral Castle, where estate staff can pay their last respects, a senior palace official said. Her oak coffin has been draped with the Royal Standard for Scotland, and a wreath of flowers is laid on top.

Sunday morning, her coffin will embark on a six-hour journey to Edinburgh and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland.

On Monday, it will process to St Giles’s Cathedral for a service attended by the King and Queen Consort, and a congregation made up “from all areas of Scottish society,” the senior palace official said.

After the service, the coffin will rest there for 24 hours to allow the Scottish public to pay their respects. Charles and members of the royal family will take part in the guard – or vigil – Monday evening.

Princess Anne will accompany her mother’s body the following day as it is flown back to London, and placed on trestles in the Bow Room at Buckingham Palace overnight, the official said.

Wednesday will see an extraordinary silent procession take the coffin on a gun carriage from Buckingham Palace over to Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the Palace of Westminster, where the Queen will lie in state until the morning of the funeral.

In what is likely to be an incredibly poignant moment, members of the royal family will walk behind their beloved matriarch. During the procession, Big Ben will toll and The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery will fire minute guns at Hyde Park, the official added.

It will be placed on a raised platform – or catafalque – in the middle of the hall and guarded around the clock by officers from the Household Division, the King’s Bodyguard or the Royal Company of Archers.

The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II lies in state at Westminster Hall in London on Monday, September 19.

US President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, right, view the Queen's coffin on Sunday. They were accompanied by Jane Hartley, the US ambassador to the United Kingdom.

To get a spot ahead of the Queen's funeral procession on Monday, people camp out Sunday along Whitehall, a street that cuts through London's government district.

President Biden signs a book of condolences at London's Lancaster House on Sunday.

People wait in line near London's Tower Bridge for a chance to pay their respects to the Queen.

Prince William and Prince Harry lead the Queen's grandchildren into Westminster Hall to stand vigil at her coffin on Saturday.

King Charles III reacts as a member of the public hands him a drawing of his mother on Saturday. The King and Prince William were shaking hands with people waiting in line to view the Queen's coffin.

The Queen's grandchildren stand vigil inside Westminster Hall on Saturday.

Prince William greets people waiting in line to see the Queen lying in state on Saturday.

The King leaves Westminster Hall after standing vigil on Friday.

England football legend David Beckham was among those waiting in line Friday for the chance to pay his respects to the Queen. Beckham told reporters he had been waiting for more than 12 hours. "We all want to be here together, we all want to experience something where we celebrate the amazing life of our queen," Beckham said.

In this photograph taken with a long exposure, the Queen's children stand vigil as members of the public walk around her coffin on Friday.

Ellie, 2, throws fallen leaves in the air as people wait in line to pay tribute to the Queen on Friday.

The Lutine Bell is rung once to mark the Queen's death Thursday in the underwriting room at Lloyd's of London. The bell was also rung twice to mark the accession of the King. The bell is traditionally rung once for bad news and twice for good news.

People line up outside Westminster Hall on Thursday.

Sachiko Suckling and her 3 year-old twins, Naomi and Louis, lay flowers outside Windsor Castle on Thursday.

Members of the public view the Queen's coffin on Thursday.

Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, walk behind Prince William and Catherine, the Princess of Wales, as they leave Westminster Hall on Wednesday.

The King, Prince William and Princess Anne salute the Queen's coffin beside Prince Harry and Prince Andrew on Wednesday.

The King watches his mother's coffin arrive at Westminster Hall.

People gather in London's Hyde Park, where video screens broadcast Wednesday's events.

Catherine, the Princess of Wales, and Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, watch the Queen's coffin arrive at Westminster Hall on Wednesday. The coffin was adorned with the Imperial State Crown.

The Queen's coffin is carried into Westminster Hall.

Members of the royal family follow the bearer party carrying the Queen's coffin into Westminster Hall.

People watch as the Queen's coffin passes them on Wednesday.

Prince William and Prince Harry walk during the procession on Wednesday.

The Queen's coffin is covered with the Royal Standard as it is carried to Westminster Hall on Wednesday.

Catherine, the Princess of Wales, is driven behind the Queen's coffin during the procession on Wednesday. She wore a diamond and pearl leaf brooch that belonged to the Queen, according to the UK's Press Association.

The King and his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, walk behind the coffin during Wednesday's procession.

The Queen's coffin was carried along The Mall, Whitehall, Parliament Street, Parliament Square and New Palace Yard before entering Westminster Hall on Wednesday.

A hearse carrying the Queen's coffin arrives at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday. The coffin was flown in Tuesday from Edinburgh, Scotland.

Pallbearers place the Queen's coffin into the hearse after it arrived in England on Tuesday.

The coffin is carried into a Royal Air Force plane in Scotland on Tuesday.

People watch as the Queen's coffin is transported to Edinburgh Airport on Tuesday.

The King and other members of the royal family hold a vigil at the Queen's coffin while it was inside St. Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh on September 12.

People line up to see the Queen's coffin as she lies at rest at the St. Giles' Cathedral.

The hearse carrying the Queen's coffin travels through Edinburgh on September 12.

From left, the King, Princess Anne and Prince Andrew follow the hearse through the streets of Edinburgh on September 12.

The King gives his first address to Parliament at London's Westminster Hall. He began by thanking the Speakers of the Houses of Commons and Lords for their opening speeches, "which so touchingly encompass what our late Sovereign, my beloved mother The Queen, meant to us all."

People in London walk past a portrait of the Queen on September 12.

The Queen's coffin arrives at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh on September 11.

People wait for the Queen's coffin to arrive at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

Crowds watch the hearse carrying the Queen's coffin as it makes its way down the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.

Princess Anne curtseys as her mother's coffin enters the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

A bouquet of roses rests on a Union Jack flag in London.

People look at the Palace of Westminster as a flag flies at half-staff on September 11.

People take photos as a hearse carries the Queen's coffin through Edinburgh on September 11.

An honor guard stands in position before the arrival of the Queen's coffin at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

People watch the procession after the hearse traveled over the Queensferry Bridge.

A woman looks emotional as people gather in Ballater, Scotland, to watch the procession on September 11. Thousands lined the route of the royal cortege that passed through the Scottish countryside and the cities of Aberdeen and Dundee.

A ceremony in Edinburgh publicly proclaimed King Charles III as the new monarch on September 11. He was also proclaimed King in a ceremony in England on September 10.

The Queen's coffin is draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland and a wreath of flowers.

People stand in line to lay flowers and pay their respects to the Queen in front of Buckingham Palace.

A woman in London sports buttons with pictures of the Queen.

The Queen's coffin passes through Ballater on September 11.

A chalk artist draws a portrait of the Queen at Trafalgar Square in London.

The King arrives at Buckingham Palace on September 11.

Robert Noel, the Norroy and Ulster King of Arms, reads the King's proclamation of accession during a ceremony at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland.

From left, Prince William; Catherine, the Princess of Wales; Prince Harry; and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, wave to a crowd outside Windsor Castle on September 10. It was the first time the public had seen the two brothers together since the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June.

The King speaks in the Throne Room at St. James's Palace during the Accession Council in London on September 10. Joining him were his son Prince William and his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort. At the ceremony, the King pledged to follow his mother's "inspiring example."

Prince Andrew, right, gestures to the public as members of the royal family look at floral tributes outside the gates of Balmoral Castle on September 10. The royal family attended a private church service at nearby Crathie Kirk.

Camilla signs an oath during the meeting of the Accession Council on September 10.

Members of the Coldstream Guards participate in a ceremony following Charles' proclamation at St. James's Palace.

From left, Catherine, Prince William, Prince Harry and Meghan look at floral tributes outside Windsor Castle on September 10.

Newspapers covering the Queen's death are seen in Manchester, England, on September 9.

The King delivers his first address as the new British monarch on September 9. He vowed to continue in his mother's footsteps and serve "with loyalty, respect and love."

A service honoring the Queen is held at St. Paul's Cathedral in London on September 9.

People watch Charles' televised speech inside a pub in London on September 9. "As the Queen herself did with such unswerving devotion, I too now solemnly pledge myself, throughout the remaining time God grants me, to uphold the Constitutional principles at the heart of our nation," he said.

Condolence messages are written on a wall in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Members of the public arrive for the remembrance ceremony at St. Paul's Cathedral.

A woman wipes her eyes outside Buckingham Palace.

Members of Parliament observe a minute of silence in memory of the Queen.

Members of the Honourable Artillery Company fire a gun salute outside the Tower of London on September 9.

Flowers are left on the gate at Buckingham Palace.

Charles greets well-wishers as he walks by the gates of Buckingham Palace on September 9.

Wardens stand outside the gates to Windsor Castle on September 9.

Students gather to pay their respects for the Queen at the Royal Russell School in London.

People take photos with their phones as an image of the Queen is displayed in London's Piccadilly Circus on September 8.

A notice is placed on a fence outside Buckingham Palace, announcing the Queen's death on September 8. "The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon," the statement read. "The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow."

A rainbow is seen near Windsor Castle as the Union Flag is lowered after the Queen's death.

People react outside Buckingham Palace after news of the Queen's death.

Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a statement about the Queen outside No. 10 Downing Street on September 8. "She has been a personal inspiration to me and to many Britons," Truss said. "Her devotion to duty is an example to us all."

A child places flowers outside the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.

Prince William drives Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, to Balmoral Castle on September 8. The Queen's death was announced a short time later.

Television crews and media work outside Buckingham Palace on September 8.

Crowds gather on the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace on September 8.

In pictures: The UK mourns Queen Elizabeth II

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On the morning of September 19, the coffin will travel in procession once more to Westminster Abbey for the funeral, the details of which will likely come in the following days. After the service, it will be taken again in procession to Wellington Arch, before traveling to Windsor where it will process up the Long Walk and to St. George’s Chapel for a committal service.

Arrangements for the funeral have been in the works for many years. While the Queen would have had a say in plans prior to her death, they can only be signed off by the sitting monarch. Charles, who was formally proclaimed King earlier Saturday, performed that duty with the Duke of Norfolk, who holds the hereditary role of Earl Marshal which is responsible for orchestrating state events.

The Principal Proclamation reading in London's St. James's Palace to officially proclaim Charles as King Charles III, on Saturday, September 10.

Related article King Charles III pledges rest of his life to monarchy as he is proclaimed King

Speaking on behalf of the many agencies involved in the funeral arrangements, the Earl Marshal said Saturday “we will carry out our duty over the coming days with the heaviest of hearts.”

He continued, “But also, with the firmest of resolve to ensure a fitting farewell to one of the defining figures of our times; a monarch whom we were truly privileged to have had as the Head of State of our country and the Realms, and Head of the wider Commonwealth.”

Westminster Abbey, founded in 960 AD by Benedictine monks, is one of the most recognizable landmarks in London. The historic church has been the setting for every coronation since 1066, and was where the then-Princess Elizabeth married Prince Philip in 1947. But there hasn’t been a funeral of a monarch there since that of George II in 1760.

Heads of state and dignitaries from around the world are expected to be invited to the British capital to join members of the royal family to celebrate the Queen’s life and unwavering service to the nation and Commonwealth. While a guest list has not yet been announced, US President Joe Biden told reporters Friday he planned to attend the funeral.

Other familiar faces at the televised service will be some of the Queen’s 15 former prime ministers and senior lawmakers.