Britain Bids Farewell To Queen Elizabeth With Outpouring Emotion

On Monday, the United Kingdom will bid farewell to Queen Elizabeth II who ruled the country for a record 70 years and 7 months. The state funeral of the monarch who passed away on September 8 at the age of 96 will be held in the capital while the burial will take place at a chapel on the premises of Windsor Castle near London.

Due to the Queen’s funeral, Monday is an official holiday in the UK.

Funeral with military honors

At 06:30 am (08:30 Moscow time), the public farewell ceremony that had been underway at Westminster Palace since September 14 ended. The line of those wishing to pay their respects to the Queen was limited to eight kilometers for security reasons and the wait ranged from eight to 24 hours.

Around 10:35 (12:35 Moscow time), a bearer party founded by the Queen’s Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards will transfer the coffin to the State Gun Carriage of the Royal Navy.

Service at Westminster Abbey

At 13:00 (15:00), the coffin will be transferred to a hearse to take the Queen’s body to Windsor Castle.

Burial away from public eye

The televised committal service here will begin at 16:00 (18:00 Moscow time) led by Dean of Windsor, bishop David Conner. Afterwards, the coffin will be lowered into the royal crypt. This will be the end of all public events which the country has been following live since September 9.

The rest of the service and burial ceremony for Elizabeth II will be held privately. It is known that the Queen will be laid to rest at 19:30 (21:30 Moscow time) in the King George VI Memorial Chapel – the special part of the royal tomb under the church.