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Death of Queen Elizabeth II | What happens next?

Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8 at her Balmoral retreat in Scotland
AFP or licensors
AFP | STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN

LONDON - As preparations build for next week's state funeral and with a procession of the coffin along Edinburgh's Royal Mile on Monday: here is how the UK plans to say goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II.

 

- Monday, September 12 -

 

King Charles III and his wife Camilla, now Queen Consort, visit parliament, to receive condolences from the speakers of the lower and upper houses, before delivering a reply.

The royal couple fly to Edinburgh and at the Palace of Holyroodhouse the king will take part in the Ceremony of the Keys, where he will symbolically receive -- and then return -- the keys to the city.

The first journeys of Charles III
AFP | Enric BONET-TORRA

In the afternoon, the king and other royals take part in a procession to convey the queen's coffin along Edinburgh's Royal Mile to St Giles' Cathedral, before a religious service.

After his first audience with Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and a visit to the Scottish parliament, Charles III returns to St Giles' to take part in a vigil over the coffin -- known as the Vigil of the Princes -- with other family members.

From 5:30 pm (1630 GMT) until 3:00 pm on Tuesday, members of the public can file past to pay their respects as the coffin lies at rest guarded by the Royal Company of Archers.

The king and his wife will be joined in Scotland -- and on his tour of Northern Ireland and Wales -- by Prime Minister Liz Truss, Downing Street said.

"It's not a requirement," Truss's spokesman told reporters. 

"But the prime minister believes it's important to be present for what will be a significant moment of national mourning around the United Kingdom."

- Tuesday, September 13 - 

The king and other royals will take part in a procession to convey the queen's coffin along Edinburgh's Royal Mile to St Giles' Cathedral
AFP | LOUISA GOULIAMAKI

The queen's coffin is flown by the Royal Air Force from Edinburgh to RAF Northolt near London, accompanied by the queen's only daughter Anne, the Princess Royal, and driven to Buckingham Palace, to rest in the Bow Room.

Charles III and his wife fly to Belfast, where he will meet Northern Ireland's party leaders and receive a message of condolence led by the speaker of the devolved assembly.

The king meets leaders from all the major faiths in Northern Ireland before attending a prayer service at St Anne's Cathedral and returns to London.

  

- Wednesday, September 14 -

The king leads the procession behind the gun carriage carrying the queen's coffin from Buckingham Palace to parliament's Westminster Hall.

People have been laying flowers not just at UK royal palaces but also outside embassies and consulates around the world
AFP | Peter PARKS

It is then placed on a catafalque, a raised platform, and during the lying-in state another "Vigil of the Princes" involving the queen's children and other senior royals, will take place.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby will conduct a short service after the coffin arrives, attended by the king.

The late queen will lie in state until the funeral, with huge crowds expected as members of the public pay their respects.

- Friday, September 16 -

Charles III and his wife visit Wales where a service is held at Cardiff's Llandaff Cathedral and Charles receives a message of condolence at the Senedd, the Welsh national assembly building.

The visit to Wales completes trips to all four nations that make up the United Kingdom.

- Monday, September 19 -

The queen's coffin is taken in procession to Westminster Abbey for a state funeral at 11:00 am expected to be watched by millions around the world.

King Charles III arrives at UK parliament to hear lawmakers' condolences
AFP | Damien SIMONART, Kadir DEMIR

After the funeral, the coffin is taken to Windsor, for a televised committal service at St George's Chapel, with a private interment planned for later in the evening.

The queen will be interred at the King George VI memorial chapel, alongside her husband, Prince Philip, the ashes of her sister Princess Margaret, their mother, also called Elizabeth, and father, George VI.

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By Alice Ritchie

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