The State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II is taking place today as the nation comes together to commemorate her remarkable life.
HM Queen Elizabeth II died aged 96 on 8 September 2022.
During her reign, she served as Queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth – undertaking an important symbolic and unifying role as a head of state, spanning numerous geographical regions, cultures, and religions.
She was not just the longest-reigning British monarch in history, but she was also the first-ever monarch to reign in the UK for 70 years.
With the UK in a period of national mourning, it was confirmed by Buckingham Palace and the UK government that the State Funeral would be held at 11am in Westminster Abbey today (Monday 19 September), and a bank holiday has been declared to allow the public the time to properly pay their respects to the late monarch.
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Tens of thousands of mourners have travelled to London and Windsor for the State Funeral and burial service, and many more will be gathering at different hubs across the UK to watch the historic event in real-time.
Continuous coverage of the State Funeral is being screened by many of the nation’s major broadcasters, including BBC, ITV, Sky, and Channel 4, and is expected to be watched on television by millions of people around the world.
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Here’s what to expect throughout the course of the State Funeral morning.
Ahead of Her Majesty The Queen’s State Funeral, a new photograph has been released.
The photo was taken to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee – the first British Monarch to reach this milestone.
8am – Westminster Abbey opens and guests start to arrive
Although the State Funeral itself does not begin until 11am, the doors to Westminster Abbey have already opened and guests have begun arriving and taking their seats.
A total of 2,000 guests are expected to attend.
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This includes 500 foreign dignitaries – including politicians, civil servants, some celebrities – and many ordinary members of the public selected for charitable or community works.
World leaders will be among those representing nearly 200 countries and territories.
10:44am – Coffin procession to Westminster Abbey
The procession will involve around 6,000 representatives from all three armed forces, with 98 Royal Navy sailors towing the 123-year-old gun carriage which will carry the Queen’s coffin to Westminster Abbey.
King Charles III, his siblings, and the Queen’s grandsons will be following the coffin.
They will be followed by the Queen’s son-in-law Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, her cousin the Duke of Gloucester, and her nephew the Earl of Snowdon.
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The procession is set to arrive at Westminster Abbey at 10.52am, and the coffin will be carried into the Abbey for the service.
The State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II is taking place today / Credit: The Royal Family
11am – State Funeral service begins
The State Funeral itself is to begin at 11am, and will be conducted by the Dean of Westminster.
Newly-appointed Prime Minister Liz Truss and the Secretary General of the Commonwealth are expected to read Lessons, while the Archbishop of York, the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, and the Free Churches Moderator will each say prayers.
A sermon will be given by the Archbishop of Canterbury, who will also give the commendation, and the Dean of Westminster will then pronounce the blessing.
As the State Funeral ceremony draws to a close, The Last Post is to be played, and this will then be followed by a two-minute silence observed by all those in attendance at Westminster Abbey, and throughout the UK.
The national anthem will then be played, and a lament will close the service at midday.
The nation will come together to commemorate the remarkable life of our longest-reigning monarch / Credit: The Royal Family
Although the State Funeral will have concluded around midday, this is not the end of proceedings for the day, as the Queen’s coffin is then to make the journey to Windsor Castle.
The procession will first make its way to Wellington Arch, before arriving in Windsor and travelling up the Long Walk to Windsor Castle – where thousands of people are expected to be lining the streets to pay their respects and catch a glimpse at the coffin.
Here is a brief run-down of what is expected throughout the rest of the day:
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12:15pm – Procession to Wellington Arch
1pm – Procession arrives at Wellington Arch
3:06pm – Coffin and procession arrives in Windsor
3:10pm – Procession up the Long Walk
4pm – Commital Service
7:30pm – The burial
Full coverage throughout the day is to be broadcast live by the BBC, ITV, Sky, Channel 4, and other services, as well as being streamed for free right across the globe via The Royal Family’s YouTube channel here.
The Premier League is keeping its crucial cap on away game ticket prices – for now
Danny Jones
The Premier League has announced it is extending its crucial price cap for away games, as the general cost of match tickets continues to creep up all over the country.
Most season card holders, be they here in Greater Manchester or elsewhere, are likely looking at their annual spending going up simply, so steps like these are key in keeping first division football as affordable as possible.
And that’s just the ongoing cost of living, let alone the clubs that are continuing the trend of charging more each year and, unfortunately, even pricing some supporters out entirely.
With that in mind, the news of England’s top-flight sides voting unanimously to keep the £30 cap intact for at least another two years comes as relief to those who spend most of the year putting their hard-earned cash towards following their team home and away.
BREAKING: The Premier League extend £30 cap on away tickets for another two seasons 🚨 pic.twitter.com/L336aZwmn3
Now confirmed to remain in place until the end of the 2027/28 campaign, travelling fans obviously still spend plenty of money on transport and so on every year, but at least they don’t have to worry about rising general admissions.
At least not for the time being…
Writing in a statement, the Premier League said: “Away fans help create the incredible atmosphere Premier League matches are renowned for. Since the cap’s implementation in 2016, it has contributed to attendance at away games increasing from 82% to 91%.”
They also acknowledged the significant and regular funds that supporters still spend on these trips, with plenty of people online also praising the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), which helped spearhead the campaign over a decade ago.
With so many other obstacles still getting in the way of fans making it to games either at their usual stadium or on an away day – not least of all the constant and increasingly frustrating rescheduling of fixtures – it’s good to see this isn’t an area the Prem are trying to target.
As always, the multi-billion-pound business can always seek out other, newer money spinners, and we’re absolutley certain they will. For instance, there’s at least one happening over in Spain that we’d happily see carried over here.
Following the news, this now means that fans will ultimately have enjoyed 12 back-to-back seasons of the benefit, and long may it continue.
Nevertheless, the biggest barrier for people to watch the beautiful game at its highest level in the UK remains the cost of standard tickets.
The likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Leeds and more have already let matchgoers know that their season ticket prices will be going up, and the likes of Man City have already seen backlash for increasing rates amid the expansion of the Etihad Campus.
Greater Manchester’s fire service officially rated ‘outstanding’ following inspection
Emily Sergeant
Greater Manchester’s fire service has officially been rated ‘outstanding’.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has awarded published its latest inspection report, and has awarded Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) two ‘Outstanding’ ratings for the first time in the service’s history.
One ‘outstanding’ rating was given for the preventing of fire and emergencies, and one for values and culture.
Some of the areas of strength noted in the report include outstanding prevention work, acknowledging the service’s innovative partnership activity and targeted risk reduction programmes, and a ‘strong, positive, and inclusive’ culture, with strong communication and a clear focus on values, staff voice, and transparent decision making.
The service was also commended for having high levels of operational preparedness, and ‘effective’ governance and scrutiny, with ‘clear’ performance reporting and strategic direction.
In addition to the two ‘Outstanding’ ratings, inspectors also rated GMFRS as ‘Good’ in seven of the eight other inspection categories – including responding to fires and other emergencies, training and developing the right people with the right skills, and ensuring fairness and diversity across the workplace.
Inspectors also acknowledged the ‘significant capacity pressures’ on fire safety regulation across the UK, and the unique challenges posed by Greater Manchester’s complex and fast-changing urban environment.
“Greater Manchester has a fire and rescue service we can be proud of,” commented Mayor Andy Burnham, as the inspection report was published this week.
Greater Manchester’s fire service has officially been rated ‘outstanding’ following its latest inspection / Credit: GMFRS
“I’ve often said that GMFRS is one of the best services not just in this country, but anywhere. The inspectors’ findings reinforce this belief. I’m pleased that this strong inspection report recognises its outstanding prevention work as part of Greater Manchester’s Live Well approach, its outstanding culture and values, and consistently good performance across almost every other area.”
Chief Fire Officer, Dave Russell, added: “I am really pleased that the inspectors have recognised our progress towards this goal, by awarding us ‘Outstanding’ ratings for the first time in our service’s history.
“I am particularly pleased to have been awarded these for our nation-leading work on prevention, helping us to use our resources in the most effective way, and in our service’s culture, which I made my number one priority when joining the service.”
Emily Sergeant -
19th September 2022 
