On Monday 19 September, senior members of the Royal Family, heads of state from across the world and around 2,000 others will be invited to attend the Queen’s funeral at Westminster Abbey in London. The day will be an official Bank Holiday across the UK (in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), it was announced on Saturday 10 September. Schools and banks will close, as will the London Stock Exchange – many employers will close their offices and workplaces, although this is at the discretion of each business.
While most licensed venues are planning to stay open, potentially to screen the state funeral, many shops are closing their doors in order to let employees partake in the collective mourning and ceremony. Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer, Asda, Tesco, Waitrose and Morrisons are among the supermarkets planning full or partial closures so far. Tesco convenience stores will open after the funeral, from 5pm until 10pm, while Waitrose will be closing all stores bar a handful along the funeral procession route in London; check the opening times of your local store on the website and keep an eye on your emails for any rearranged grocery deliveries. Argos, Homebase, Greggs, Primark and Currys are among the nationwide stores set to close their doors for the entirety of bank holiday Monday, while Harrods and Selfridges will also cease trading for the day.
Sights of interest across the country are set to close, with English Heritage and National Trust releasing statements that all of their attractions will not be open to the public. The Natural History Museum, Science Museum and the V&A are among the London attractions closing, with normal hours resuming from Tuesday morning.
The day of the funeral will fall on Monday 19 September, at the end of 11 days of national mourning, including four days of the Queen lying in wait at Westminster Hall, less than 500 feet from Westminster Abbey. During those four days, members of the public will be able to file past, with Westminster Hall open to the public for 23 hours a day.
The Queen at Trooping The Colour riding her house Burmese, which was a gift from the Canadian Mounted PoliceTim Graham/Getty Images
On the day of the funeral, the Queen’s coffin will be carried from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey for a televised funeral service overseen by leaders of the Church of England.
After the ceremony, a procession – likely followed by senior members of the Royal Family including King Charles III and the Queen Consort – will lead from Westminster Abbey, down the Mall to Hyde Park Corner.
From here, the hearse will take the Queen’s coffin to Windsor, where she will be buried with her late parents and husband.
Well-wishers will be able to line the streets of London, including the Mall, to pay their respects, and large screens will be put up across the capital and the country for members of the public to watch the service together.
Read more about Queen Elizabeth II: a travel icon.
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