The death of Queen Elizabeth II sets in motion a finely choreographed plan that has been honed and planned down to the smallest detail over decades.
All the details are yet to be confirmed, but here’s what we know so far about how the coming days will play out.
– Friday 9 September –
The new King and Queen Consort – Charles and Camilla – return to London.
The Queen’s coffin, draped in the Royal Standard flag, is expected to remain at her Scottish estate, Balmoral, where she died a few days.
King Charles III will deliver his inaugural speech as king to the nation on television on Friday evening.
A gun salute will be fired in Hyde Park and the Tower of London at 1:00 p.m. (1200 GMT).
The new monarch will hold his first audience with Prime Minister Liz Truss.
Church bells will ring across the country, with churches, chapels and cathedrals being encouraged by the Church of England to open for prayer or a special service for mourners.
The Prime Minister and senior ministers will attend a public memorial service at St Paul’s Cathedral.
An online book of condolences has been opened for the public to leave messages.
– Saturday 10 September –
Day 1: The 10-day plan for the days after the Queen’s death begins with the convening of the Accession Council to formally proclaim Charles King.
Three trumpeters announce the Annunciation with a fanfare. The proclamation is read from a balcony at St James’s Palace in London and then across the country.
Charles will hold audiences and the media will be briefed in the coming days by the Earl Marshal, a senior royal official responsible for the Queen’s accession and state funeral.
– Sunday 11 September-
Day 2: The Queen’s coffin is to be transported from Balmoral to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, her official Scottish residence in Edinburgh.
The road trip will pass through many small towns and villages, giving members of the public the first opportunity to pay their respects.
Preparations for the Queen’s death in Scotland are codenamed Operation Unicorn, after the country’s national animal.
– Monday, September 12 –
Day 3: Charles is expected to embark on a tour of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the four nations that make up the United Kingdom, in an operation codenamed Spring Tide.
The Queen’s coffin is expected to be carried in a procession up Edinburgh’s Royal Mile from Holyrood to St Giles’ Cathedral, where there will be a service and vigil attended by members of the Royal Family.
– Tuesday, September 13 –
Day 4: The coffin is to be flown to the capital and transported by road to Buckingham Palace in London.
Members of the public are likely to line the route.
– Wednesday 14 September –
Day 5: A ceremonial procession of the coffin is expected through London, followed by a laying-in in Parliament’s Westminster Hall, code-named “Operation Feather”.
Senior members of the royal family are expected to stand guard around the coffin in a tradition known as the Prince’s Vigil.
– September 15th to 17th –
Day 6, 7 and 8: Lying in the state. The public can pay their respects and parade past the coffin on its catafalque.
– Sunday 18 September –
Day 9: A reception for visiting dignitaries and heads of state who have arrived for the funeral.
– Monday, September 19 –
Day 10: The State Funeral is expected to take place at Westminster Abbey, with huge crowds gathering in central London.
Senior members of the royal family are likely to walk behind the coffin as it is carried on a carriage to the abbey, observing a two-minute silence.
The Queen’s coffin will then be taken to Windsor Castle for a televised funeral service at St George’s Chapel.
She will then be buried privately in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, along with her husband, Prince Philip, the ashes of her sister Princess Margaret, her mother, also named Elizabeth, and father George VI.
