The funeral itself took place at Westminster Abbey at 11am and was attended by around 2,000 guests, including world leaders representing nearly 200 countries and territories, 500 foreign dignitaries, and members of the public selected for charitable or community works.
The service concluded with a two-minute silence and a rendition of the National anthem performed by guests inside the Abbey.
More than 50 UK channels broadcast the service and proceedings throughout the day.
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Ahead of the State Funeral service, it’s been revealed by ratings body BARB that around 27 million viewers tuned in for the procession – with 18 million watching on BBC One, 4.5 million on ITV, 1.7 million on BBC Two, and 1.5 million combined on BBC News and Sky News.
The BBC said that an average of 26.2 million viewers watched the State Funeral service between 11am-12pm across all channels, with 32.5 million viewers tuning in for the last three minutes of its coverage.
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37 million viewers in the UK watched Queen Elizabeth II’s State Funeral / Credit: Royal Family
Need a bit of comparison?
Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997 had more than 32 million UK viewers, and a similar number are thought to have watched England’s World Cup victory in 1966 – but that did happen before the modern TV ratings system began.
Almost 27.7 million watched Boris Johnson’s Prime Ministerial statement on 10 May 2020, when he set out a plan to ease the restrictions of the first COVID-19 lockdown, and the London 2012 Olympic opening and closing ceremonies also attracted almost 24.5 million viewers each.
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More than 50 UK channels broadcast the service and proceedings throughout the day / Credit: The Royal Family
It must be noted, however, that the overnight State Funeral viewing figures from ratings body Barb do not include any viewers who tuned in to watch through streaming apps like BBC iPlayer and ITV Player, or those who saw it on big screens outdoors or in cinemas, churches, or pubs.
Although it’s not yet confirmed, according to Deadline, there could have been around 4 billion tuning in to bid farewell to the Queen across the world.
Featured Image – The Royal Family
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Police appeal to find next of kin after man found outside Palace Theatre
Daisy Jackson
Police are trying to track down the family of a man who died after being found unresponsive outside the Palace Theatre in Manchester.
The man, who has now been named as Jonathan Bernard Carroll, was seen outside the city centre theatre at around 6.30am on Tuesday 12 November.
Emergency services rushed to the scene and Mr Carroll was taken to hospital.
Tragically, the 47-year-old passed away a short time later.
A large cordon was in place on Whitworth Street and Oxford Road while police and security attended the incident.
Greater Manchester Police are now appealing to find his next of kin.
It’s believed that he resided in the Salford area of Greater Manchester.
Anyone with any information should contact the Coroner’s Office on 0161 856 1376.
Greater Manchester public urged to help get people ‘off the streets and on their feet’ before Christmas
Emily Sergeant
Locals are being urged to help get hundreds of people “off the streets and back on their feet” this festive season.
As the temperatures told colder by the day, and Christmas creeps closer and closer, Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity is bringing back ‘1000 Beds for Christmas’, and the massively-important initiative is aiming to provide 1,000 nights of accommodation to people at risk of homelessness before the big day arrives.
Forming part of the ongoing ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme, this festive fundraising mission is designed to provide food, shelter, warmth, and dedicated vital wrap-around support for those who need it most.
The charity says it wants to build on the “incredible success of 2023”, which raised more than £55,000 and provided 1,800 nights of accommodation.
Stockport-based property finance specialists, Together – which has supported the campaign for the last two years – has, once again, generously pledged to match every public donation for the first £20,000 raised.
Unfamiliar with the ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme? Since 2017, when rough sleeping peaked, the initiative has helped ensure a significantly-higher rate of reduction in the numbers of people facing a night on streets in Greater Manchester than seen nationally.
The landmark scheme has given people the chance to rebuild their lives, while also giving them access to key services and opportunities that allows them to stay off the streets for good.
Despite the scheme’s recent success, organisations across Greater Manchester are under “a huge amount of pressure” to meet the demand for their services this winter, and given the current economic outlook, household budgets will continue to be squeezed – leaving people on the sharp end of inequality and poverty.
Emily Sergeant -
21st September 2022 
