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HM Queen Elizabeth II’s State Funeral – coverage timings, procession, and order of service

A full day of proceedings will see the nation come together to commemorate the life of our longest-reigning monarch.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 19th September 2022

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.

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.

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11:50am – The Last Post and two-minute silence

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.

You can read the Order of Service in full here.

Featured Image – The Royal Family

News

Body of woman found in River Mersey last year finally identified after ‘extensive’ investigation

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Laura Stanley

The body of woman who was found in the River Mersey last year has finally been identified.

Following what has been described as an ‘extensive investigation’ by Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Major Incident Team to determine the identity of the body, which was sadly discovered in the river adjacent to Chorlton Water Park on 21 March 2024, the family of the victim has now been informed and supported by specialist officers.

The victim has been formally named as 38-year-old Laura Stanley, who was originally from Derbyshire but was living in Stockport. 

After the body was discovered, and ‘exhaustive and determined’ investigation by GMP officers began to identify here, including detailed checks of both national and international databases.

Police release facial reconstruction image of mystery woman whose body was found in River Mersey

The Major Incident Team (MIT) also closely worked in collaboration with specialist forensic service providers to create an anthropological profile, which eventually culminated in the creation of a facial reconstruction image.

Following several media appeals, a relative of Laura contacted officers and then a DNA match was confirmed through a familial link.

“Laura was a kind and gentle person with a great sense of fun and adventure,” Laura’s family said in a heartbreaking tribute to her.

“She was generous, thoughtful, caring and always keen to volunteer within the community. Laura was a proud and loving mum and she will be greatly missed by her girls and all of her friends and family who loved her dearly.”

The River Mersey, across from Chorlton Water Park, where Laura’s body was discovered / Credit: Wikimedia Commons

While Laura has now been identified, police say further investigations will take place to understand her last movements, the events that led to her death, and her discovery in the river.

Additionally, as is standard practice, GMP’s Professional Standards Directorate is also reviewing a previous missing report relating to Laura in the time before the discovery of her body, which will determine prior contact relating to Laura, and whether the appropriate measures were enacted.

Anyone who knew Laura and thinks they may be able to assist with the investigation is asked to contact police by calling 101, or by using the Live Chat Service at gmp.police.uk, quoting log number 1191 of 21 March 2024.

Alternatively, you can contact the Major Incident Team Syndicate 3 directly on 0161 856 9479, or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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It is currently believed that Laura was last seen around January 2024.

Featured Image – GMP

News

More than 70,000 home buyers set to pay thousands after missing stamp duty relief deadline

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant New build houses

More than 70,000 home buyers across England are estimated to have missed the stamp duty relief deadline.

This sadly means they’ll be required to fork out thousands of pounds extra.

In case you hadn’t heard, up until yesterday (31 March 2025), anyone who was moving and had bought a home in the past was not required to pay Stamp Duty Land Tax, better-known as just stamp duty, on the portion of the property price up to £250,000.

But from today (1 April), this threshold has now fallen back to £125,000, which unfortunately means that property purchasers are facing an extra £2,500 in moving costs, on average.

While the end of the stamp duty relief will mostly affect those Greater Manchester buyers who had already previously purchased properties, first time buyers are sadly not exempt from the deadline changes too, as their current stamp duty threshold of £425,000 has now fallen back to £300,000 as of today.

Keys to a new house
Person holding the keys to a new house in their hand / Credit: Maria Ziegler (via Unsplash)

Given that the average property price for a first time buyer-type home is currently around £227,965, according to Rightmove, the new £300,000 threshold may hit those purchasing properties in more expensive areas – particularly the South East.

A third of those estimated 70,000 home buyers who have missed the deadline are thought to be first time buyers.

Leading property platform Rightmove published an analysis in February into just how much of an impact the end of the stamp duty relief would have on home buyers, all while calling on the UK Government to announce a short extension to the deadline to help people in the middle of the property purchasing process avoid potentially thousands of pounds in extra moving costs.

But despite these calls from industry leaders, there was no extension to the deadline announced in the last week’s latest Spring Statement.

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“It’s extremely disappointing that the Government has not used the Spring Statement as an opportunity to extend the impending stamp duty deadline for those currently going through the home-moving process,” commented Rightmove’s property expert Colleen Babcock.

“We estimate over 70,000 people are going to miss the deadline and complete in April instead, and a third of those are first time buyers.”

Featured Image – James Feaver (via Unsplash)

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