From the Queen’s death to her funeral, here is the sequence of royal events to come | CBC News

Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, expected in 11 days, will be the culmination of an official period of mourning that began with her death in Balmoral on Thursday.

But planning to honor the 96-year-old’s life began decades ago in the strictest secrecy under his own codename – London Bridge.

As little as possible will be left to chance over the next week and a half, leading up to a funeral at Westminster Abbey in London, followed by confinement and burial at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, west of London.

As much as the next few days are about remembering the Queen, they are also about the start of the next reign, as Prince Charles became King Charles III immediately after the death of his mother and is taking on the role he was destined to be prepared all his life.

In the royal plan, days of mourning are marked with D (day of death) plus a number. However, D was referred to as Friday instead.

While other events are subject to change, here’s what’s expected each day over the next week and a half.

CBC will provide extensive coverage of the events listed below. Watch and hear live coverage on CBC News Network, CBC Radio and the CBC News and Listen apps.

D+1

Charles became king the moment his mother died, but he is due to officially take over the role on D+1 when the Accession Council meets at St James’s Palace.

Members of the Privy Council will be summoned to the historic site next to Buckingham Palace. London’s Lord Mayor and Aldermen are invited, along with High Commissioners from areas within the Commonwealth.

After the Queen’s official declaration of death and Charles’ proclamation as King, he will read a declaration and take an oath to preserve the Church of Scotland.

In Canada, the Governor General receives the proclamation for Canada, with Rideau Hall determining how this is to be done.

D+2

Proclamations are read across the UK.

The Canadian delegation’s trip to London is announced.

D+3

Charles begins touring the UK to meet and mourn with members of the public, beginning with a trip to Edinburgh. His wife Camilla, who is now Queen Consort, is expected to join him.

In Canada, condolence books will be available for members of the public to sign.

D+4

Charles will continue to tour the UK and visit Belfast.

Condolence books will continue to be available in Canada.

D+5

The Queen’s coffin is brought from Buckingham Palace’s Throne Room to the Bow Room where prayers are said. The Imperial State Crown is placed on the coffin, along with a wreath of flowers. Charles and other members of the royal family are expected to be in attendance.

The coffin is then carried by carriage in a solemn procession to Westminster Hall, a Gothic building with a rich political and royal history and the oldest building of the British Parliament.

Charles, other family members and members of the royal household are expected to follow on foot. Bells ring throughout the procession.

At 4:00 p.m., lying in the state begins and lasts five days, 24 hours a day, with the exception of 30-minute cleaning periods.

There will be a queuing system with people queuing in front of Parliament and across the Thames, and for some distance afterwards.

The condolence books will continue to be available in Canada.

D+6

The lying in the state continues, as do the condolence books in Canada.

D+7

Charles continues his UK tour with a visit to Wales as lying in the state also continues.

The Queen’s four children will attend a vigil at Westminster Hall in the evening when Charles returns.

D+8

Preparations for the funeral continue and rehearsals are underway.

Foreign leaders are expected to arrive in London.

Charles can also go to a control center that monitors events, see the operational side of things and thank those involved.

D+9

Heads of state and other dignitaries arrive in London, with heads of state likely to attend the ceremony at Westminster Hall.

The Queen’s grandchildren could also hold a vigil at Westminster Hall.

Charles is expected to meet the British Prime Minister and greet the assembled public.

D+10 or later – The Burial and Burial

Laying time ends at 8:30 a.m

Two hours later, members of the royal family arrive at Westminster Hall and the coffin is placed on a carriage.

At 10:44am, the procession to Westminster Abbey begins, followed by members of the Royal Family.

The hour-long funeral, the first funeral for a monarch at Westminster Abbey since King George II in 1760, begins at 11am

At 12:15pm, Elizabeth’s coffin emerges from the Great West Door and Westminster Abbey for a procession to Wellington Arch.

At 1pm the coffin is loaded onto the state hearse for the journey to Windsor.

At 2.55pm the coffin arrives in Windsor for a second ceremonial procession through the city to St George’s Chapel.

At 3:30 p.m., members of the royal family arrive for a funeral service, which begins at 4:00 p.m. After the 45-minute service, Elizabeth’s coffin is lowered into the royal vault. The Lord Chamberlain will break his white baton, symbolizing the end of his service as the coffin is lowered.

At 7:30 p.m., the royal family returns for a private funeral. Elizabeth is buried with Prince Philip in the King George VI Memorial Chapel. Her father and mother are interred there along with the ashes of their sister, Princess Margaret.

Much of what will happen will be unprecedented for many who will be watching. Only those old enough to remember the last funeral of a British monarch on February 15, 1952 can remember what the funeral of a reigning king or queen is like.

But even this funeral – for the Queen’s father, King George VI. – can only be a guide to a specific point, as it took place in St. George’s Chapel and not in the much larger Westminster Abbey, the place of great historical, royal and spiritual importance in central London, where leading figures from the world of the will join the Queen’s family to honor her.

There have been other royal funerals at Westminster Abbey in moderately recent memory – Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother in 2002; and Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997. Diana’s funeral was based on the plan for the Queen Mother. The funeral of Prince Philip, the Queen’s husband, was held at St George’s Chapel in 2021 but was scaled back significantly from plans made. It happened during the pandemic, at a time when regulations only allowed 30 guests.