Britain and the world will lay Queen Elizabeth to rest on Monday in a state funeral that will bring together presidents and kings, princes and prime ministers, as well as up to a million people lining the streets of London to bid a final farewell to a monarch whose A reign of 70 years defined an age.
Live coverage of the funeral is now underway, and the service itself begins at 6 a.m. ET.
A packed day of funerals in London and Windsor got off to an early start as the doors of 900-year-old Westminster Hall were closed to mourners after hundreds of thousands of people filed past the coffin of the queen since September 14. Many of them had spent cold nights. outdoors to pay their respects at the foot of Elizabeth’s flag-draped coffin in an emotional outpouring of national grief.
The closing of the hall marked the end of four full days of the coffin in state and the start of the UK’s first state funeral since the one held in 1965 for Winston Churchill, the first of 15 prime ministers during the reign of Isabel Two days before her death on September 8 at her summer retreat at Balmoral, the Queen appointed her last prime minister, Liz Truss.
Monday has been declared a public holiday in honor of Elizabeth, who died on September 8 at the age of 96. His funeral will be broadcast live to more than 200 countries and territories around the world and will be screened in a multitude of parks and public spaces across the UK.
The service, at the medieval Gothic abbey where Elizabeth was married in 1947 and crowned in 1953, will be attended by 2,000 people ranging from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other world leaders to health workers and volunteers.
Mourners wait along the route as Queen Elizabeth’s coffin is carried in a hearse during her funeral at Westminster Abbey in London on Monday. (Emilio Morenatti/Pool/Reuters)
Police officers from across the country will be on duty as part of the biggest one-day police operation in London’s history.
The evening before the funeral, King Charles issued a message of thanks to people in the UK and around the world, saying he and his wife Camilla, the Queen consort, have been “moved beyond the measure” by the large number of people who have paid their respects to the Queen.
“As we all prepare to say our final goodbyes, I simply wanted to take this opportunity to thank all those countless people who have been a support and comfort to both my family and me in this time of grief.” , he said.
Mourners began arriving to take their seats shortly after 8 a.m. local time. Dignitaries were arriving later, with many heads of state gathered at a nearby hospital to be bused to the abbey.
After the hour-long Church of England service in central London, there will be another procession to take the Queen’s coffin to Windsor, where there will be a committal service and a private service for members of the royal family.
LOOK | The Queen wanted Mounties to be part of her funeral:
The RCMP will play a key role in Queen’s funeral
Queen Elizabeth had a fondness for the RCMP and specifically requested that members of the RCMP Musical Journey be included in her funeral procession. The RCMP officers who will be participating explain their role in the procession and how they have been preparing.
She will later be buried in the King George VI Memorial Chapel at Windsor Castle alongside her husband Prince Philip, her parents and the ashes of her sister Princess Margaret.
King Charles and his siblings, Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Prince Andrew, held a vigil around his coffin on Friday. On Saturday, Prince William, the new heir to the throne, and his brother, Prince Harry, were joined by six of their cousins for the grandchild vigil.
Canada’s delegation will be led by Trudeau and Governor General Mary Simon, and will include some of his predecessors and Indigenous leaders.
In Canada, a memorial service will be held at Christ Church Cathedral in Ottawa on Monday starting at 1:00 PM ET. Live coverage from the Canadian capital begins at noon ET.
LOOK | National memorial ceremony in honor of Queen Elizabeth:
National memorial ceremony in honor of (deleted from) Queen Elizabeth
Join CBC’s Vassy Kapelos for special coverage as Canada honors Queen Elizabeth in a national ceremony in Ottawa.
Former prime ministers Brian Mulroney and Joe Clark are choosing to attend the ceremony in Ottawa, sources told the CBC. Former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson will attend the Ottawa ceremony, according to a government press release.
You can watch live coverage of the Queen’s funeral starting at 5 a.m. ET Monday on CBC TV, CBC News Network, CBC Gem, CBCNews.ca and the CBC News app. At noon ET, the broadcast will head to Ottawa for a national memorial ceremony.
CBC News Network will broadcast the funeral at 7:00 PM ET.
CBC Radio One’s live coverage of the funeral will begin at 5:30 a.m. ET, which will also be available on the CBC Listen app.