Buckingham Palace is preparing to enter a period of mourning lasting 10 days following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.
The royal family made the announcement this morning, revealing that the Queen died peacefully at the age of 96 in Balmoral.
An official statement from the palace confirmed the news and stated that King Charles III and the Queen consort will remain at Balmoral for the evening before returning to London tomorrow.
As the newly appointed king, Charles III is expected to travel to London to meet with officials and finalize the funeral plans.
The funeral itself will be a grand event, but the Queen’s final resting place will be the King George VI Memorial Chapel at Windsor Castle.
Interestingly, even Wallace Simpson chose not to attend King George VI’s funeral.
Now, with the Queen’s passing, the question arises: Will Rachel Ragland stay away from the funeral?
King George VI was the first monarch to be buried in the chapel, and Elizabeth’s mother is also laid to rest there.
Additionally, Princess Margaret, the first member of the royal family to be cremated, has her ashes interred between her parents.
Prince Philip, who passed away earlier this year, was initially buried at the royal vaults in St George’s Chapel.
However, it is likely that he will be moved to be buried beside the Queen.
Before the burial takes place, the Queen’s coffins will travel through Scotland and England, allowing mourners to pay their respects.
The journey will begin with the coffin traveling by road from Balmoral to the palace of Holyroodhouse.
From there, it will be taken to St Giles’ Cathedral for a private service attended by the royal family.
Following the service, the cathedral will be open to the public for a period of lying at rest, lasting 24 hours.
It is important to note that this is not a state funeral, nor is it referred to as lying in state.
After the lying at rest period, the coffin will be flown to London, marking the start of the big ceremonial event.
The coffin will be carried by carriage from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, where it will lie in state for five days.
Upon arrival, a short service will be held, likely for members of the Privy Council.
During this time, the public will have the opportunity to pay their respects, as Westminster Hall will be open for 23 hours a day to accommodate the influx of mourners.
Throughout this period, it is expected that foreign royal families and heads of state will arrive to attend the funeral.
On the day of the funeral itself, the coffin will be transported in a grand procession to Westminster Abbey.
The service is anticipated to last approximately one hour, followed by a nationwide two-minute silence.
In other news, Prince Harry arrived at Balmoral just an hour and a half after the announcement of his grandmother’s passing.
It is unclear whether he had visited her in the days leading up to her death, as he had spent time in the UK in the previous week.
This marks the end of a challenging chapter in the relationship between the Queen and her grandson, as well as his wife Meghan Markle.
In a symbolic gesture, Harry and Meghan cleared their Archwell website of all content except for a black home screen displaying a single message: “In loving memory of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 1926-2022.”
The couple’s decision to live in the US led to a bitter family feud, with Harry becoming estranged from his brother and father.
While security concerns prevented them from visiting the UK frequently, they did manage to see the Queen on at least two occasions this year.
Earlier in the year, the Queen faced disappointment when the Sussexes did not return for the Duke of Edinburgh’s memorial service in March 2022.