Queen Elizabeth Funeral Date: When is Queen Elizabeth Funeral?

The death of Queen Elizabeth has plunged the world into mourning – and now preparations are underway for the beloved monarch’s funeral.

Although the date of her funeral has not been announced, it traditionally takes place 10 days after “D-Day” – the date of the monarch’s death.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: When is the Queen’s funeral?

For more royal family news and videos, visit Royal Family >>

However, due to the late announcement of the Queen’s death, “D-Day” has been moved from Thursday 8 September to Friday 9 September.

This means that the funeral will most likely take place on Monday 19 September, at the end of the official mourning period.

King Charles III will make the final decision on the date of his mother’s funeral.

“Operation Unicorn”

If the Queen had died in England, Operation London Bridge would now be running.

But because she died in Scotland, the lesser known “Operation Unicorn” was put into action.

The operation is so named because the unicorn is the national animal of Scotland.

This means the Queen’s body is first carried in a procession through the streets of Edinburgh to allow mourners to pay their respects before heading to London.

First, Queen Elizabeth will be laid out for a day in Edinburgh’s official royal residence, Holyroodhouse.

She will then be taken in a procession up Edinburgh’s historic Royal Mile to St Giles’ Cathedral, the second place for people to pay their respects.

Royals pundit Russell Myer told Weekend Sunrise Queen Elizabeth would then travel to London on RAF planes, not by train, the Queen’s preferred mode of transport.

The reasons for the change are currently unknown.

“We’re not sure why those plans changed because the plans have been in place for a long, long time,” Myers said.

“Royal train was Her Majesty’s preferred mode of transport but it appears that once she is in Scotland for people to pay their respects she will be brought back on an RAF plane.”

Once Queen Elizabeth’s body is in England, Operation London Bridge begins.

She is taken to the throne room of Buckingham Palace before being carried by gun carriage to Westminter Hall, where she is laid out for four days.

On the day of the funeral, Queen Elizabeth’s coffin is carried to Westminster Abbey while Big Ben’s chimes ring out across London.

The accession of the king

King Charles’ accession formalities begin on Saturday morning London time.

He will travel from Buckingham Palace to St James’ Palace to meet the Accession Council.

His wife, Queen Consort Camilla, and eldest son, Prince William, are expected when Charles is officially proclaimed king.

The accession to the throne will be televised for the first time in history, as Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne 70 years ago – and in 1953 television was a relatively new phenomenon.

Gun salutes are fired from the Tower of London, Hillsborough in Scotland and Cardiff in Wales.

From midday Prime Minister Liz Truss will be in Parliament to pay the tributes and oaths to His Majesty the King before the Prime Minister and Cabinet have an audience with the King.

Once these formalities have been completed, it is all about saying goodbye to the Queen.

The Queen’s final resting place

The Queen’s funeral service will take place at Westminster Abbey before her burial in the King George VI Memorial Chapel at Windsor Castle.

The funeral, which will be televised, is not open to the general public, but around 2000 guests are expected.

Her coffin is placed next to her parents and Prince Philip, who is buried in St George’s Royal Vault at Windsor Castle, is moved and placed next to his wife.

The King George VI also holds the ashes of Queen Elizabeth’s sister, Princess Margaret, who died in 2022.