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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
All military personnel can travel for FREE on Manchester’s public transport this weekend
Emily Sergeant
All military personnel will be allowed to travel for free across Greater Manchester’s public transport system this weekend.
In case you hadn’t heard, this Saturday 28 June is Armed Forces Day.
Armed Forces Day sees Brits celebrate those who are currently serving troops, their families, serving reservists, veterans, and cadets, and Manchester will also be paying tribute to the hundreds who have ‘fearlessly served’ with day of commemorations in the city centre on Saturday.
Mancunians are expected to line the streets as a parade made up of armed forces personnel, veterans, and cadets will begin a procession that will proudly march through the centre of Manchester, starting in St Peter’s Square at 11:30am.
Manchester will be marking Armed Forces Day 2025 this weekend with a 'poignant' military parade through the city centre. 🎖🥁
You can also expect an afternoon of live performances by the lively Lancashire Army Artillery Band, alongside music hosted by BBC Radio DJ, Michelle Dignan, up until 4pm.
Historic military displays, and stalls from organisations including the NHS, Royal British Legion, and Manchester City Council’s own Armed Forces Covenant, will also be in attendance, as well giving visitors the chance to explore an engaging display of military vehicles, uniforms, artefacts, and personal stories that span the rich legacy of the British armed forces inside a pop-up Military Museum tent.
This year’s Armed Forces Day is also particularly-special because it marks the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE Day) which happened on 8 May, and the upcoming Victory over Japan (VJ Day) on 15 August.
All military personnel can travel for free on Manchester’s public transport this weekend / Credit: GMP | Bee Network
And so, in order to honour what an important weekend it is for hundreds in our region, the Bee Network has announced that all military personnel will be allowed to travel for free.
Free travel will be permitted on all Bee Network bus and tram services on both Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 June for any members of the Regular and Reserve Services carrying their MOD90 card, veterans who carry their Veterans’ badge or Veterans’ rail card, and cadets travelling in uniform.
To mark Armed Forces Day, we're offering free travel this weekend (28-29 June) for military personnel and veterans across bus and tram services in Greater Manchester.
“The Armed Forces community makes an invaluable contribution to our society, and we’re showing our appreciation with free travel on Bee Network buses and trams across Greater Manchester this weekend,” commented Danny Vaughan, who is the Chief Network Officer at Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM).
The free travel is part of TfGM’s commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant – a promise from the nation that those who serve or have served, and their families, are treated fairly.
“It’s a special weekend and one we’re proud to get behind,” Danny concluded.
Featured Image – Janus Boye
News
Stockport paedophile jailed after ‘grooming, exploiting, and coercing’ teenage girls in early 2000s
Emily Sergeant
A prolific paedophile has been sentenced after admitting to ‘grooming, exploiting, and coercing’ teenage girls in the early 2000s.
Christopher Oates, from Stockport, has been brought to justice this week after he subjected vulnerable girls to what Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has referred to as a ‘campaign’ of violence and sexual abuse 20 years ago.
The court heard how the 45-year-old groomed one of the survivors from when she was just 14 years old, by providing her with a false sense of security, paying her compliments, and pretending to be her boyfriend, all before he proceeded to ply her with drugs, gifts, and affection, and using the trust and control he gained to persuade her to start sex work on the streets of Manchester.
When the teenage victim began to doubt his intentions and asked to go home, Oates dragged her down an alleyway, violently attacked her, and threatened her with a gun, stating: ‘You do as I say, you’re mine now,’ commanding her to go to her ‘spot’.
It was this incident that prompted the teenager to confide in her mother and support services, and from here, found the strength to move forward with her life, while still courageously supporting the police investigation.
#JAILED | Paedophile sentenced to 13 years for abusing teenage girls and committing a catalogue of crimes uncovered by detectives pic.twitter.com/yFKNtFmy6Z
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) June 26, 2025
From this investigation, detectives were then able to identify a second teenage victim, a 17-year-old, who Oates also coerced into sex work.
The two victims recall Oates taking them to a designated spot in central Manchester at least once a week to carry out sex acts in cars for money.
Oates would supply both victims with cocaine and alcohol, and even pressured them to take crack cocaine and heroin, aiming to build an addiction and increase their dependency on him.
In April 2024, Oates pleaded guilty to two counts of making indecent images of children, taking indecent images of children, and attempting to engage a child in sexual communication, as well as pleading to the production of cannabis and two counts of possessing an identity document with improper intent.
After being remanded into custody, on 5 September 2024, Oates was postal charged with possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, three counts of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a girl aged 13-15 years old, and two counts causing / inciting a child aged 13-17 years to prostitution.
A paedophile from Stockport has been jailed after ‘grooming, exploiting, and coercing’ teenage girls in the early 2000s / Credit: GMP
In March earlier this year on the fourth day of his trial, Oates admitted to the offences, and this week (25 June 2025), he was sentenced to 13 years in prison for all his crimes.
“I would like to commend the two women at the centre of this case for the strength they demonstrated throughout our investigation and subsequent legal proceedings,” commented Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Eleanor Humphreys, from GMP’s CSE Major Investigations Team, as Oates was sentenced this week.
“It has been an arduous process for them to relieve the horrific abuse, and I am so grateful they placed their trust and confidence in our team to pursue justice.
“Their resilience and determination were the driving force behind reaching today’s outcome, where a dangerous man begins serving a lengthy sentence behind bars, far away from causing any more harm or misery.
Emily Sergeant -
19th September 2022 
