The Queen's state funeral is taking place on Monday 19 September in a beautifully crafted ceremony at Westminster Abbey which will honour the late monarch's long life of selfless service.
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Members of the royal family including the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Earl and Countess of Wessex and more will be joined by government ministers and royalty from across the globe to remember Her Majesty. Read on for details about the Order of Service, including who will be giving readings and the hymns that have been specially chosen.
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Order of Service
Ahead of the service, the tenor bell will be tolled every minute for 96 minutes, reflecting the years of the Queen's life. Holders of The George Cross, Victoria Cross, and Representatives of the Orders of Chivalry will process through the Abbey before the Service.
A procession of representatives from faith communities across the United Kingdom, as well as representatives from the Churches of Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and England, will process ahead of the Service. Also present will be the Sub-Dean of the Chapels Royal and the Dean of Windsor.
All members of the congregation will then stand as the procession of the coffin enters the Abbey. The Choir of Westminster Abbey will sing as the King and the Queen Consort process immediately behind Her Majesty's coffin, followed by Princess Anne and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, then the Duke of York, followed by the Earl and Countess of Wessex and then the Prince and Princess of Wales.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte will follow on from their parents ahead of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the Earl of Snowdon, the Duke of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent.
The Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, who is conducting the service, will then give The Bidding, in which he will speak of the late monarch's "unswerving commitment to a high calling over so many years" as Queen and Head of the Commonwealth. "With affection we recall her love for her family and her commitment to the causes she held dear," he will say.
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Various hymns, prayers and readings will be given by prominent figures, such as The Archbishop of Canterbury, before the service draws to a close with The Last Post, two minutes' silence, the Reveille, and the national anthem. The Queen’s Piper, Warrant Officer Class 1 (Pipe Major) Paul Burns, will play the traditional lament Sleep, Dearie, Sleep before the coffin and procession exit the church.
Read on for details about the hymns, prayers and readings.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe service will be held at Westminster Abbey, where the Queen's coronation took place
Hymns
The Choir of Westminster Abbey will sing various meaningful hymns during the historic ceremony, including The Lord’s My Shepherd, I'll Not Want, which was sung at the Queen's wedding to the Duke of Edinburgh in 1947. The same hymn was also included at the funeral of the Queen’s father George VI in 1952, but with slightly different wording.
Other hymns which will be sung during the funeral service include The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, Is Ended; and Love Divine, All Loves Excelling. The latter song has featured in several royal weddings over the years, including that of Prince William and Princess Kate, Charles and Camilla and Princess Eugenie.
A hymn sung at the Queen and Prince Philip's wedding will be included
Prayers
Prayers will be said by the Reverend Dr Iain Greenshields, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, who will "give thanks to God for Queen Elizabeth’s long life and reign, recalling with gratitude her gifts of wisdom, diligence, and service."
Ms Shermara Fletcher, Principal Officer for Pentecostal and Charismatic Relations, Churches
Together in England, will go on to pray "for all those whose hearts are heavy with grief and sorrow," before the Bishop of London Dame Sarah Mullally will deliver a prayer for “our most gracious Sovereign Lord King Charles, Camilla the Queen Consort, William Prince of Wales, and all the royal family”.
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Reverend Canon Helen Cameron, Moderator of the Free Churches Group, will then speak of the Queen's "unstinting devotion to duty". She will be followed by His Eminence Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, who will "give thanks for Queen Elizabeth’s commitment to the Commonwealth throughout her reign."
The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York, will round off the prayers by praising "Queen Elizabeth’s loyalty to the faith she inherited through her baptism and confirmation".
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe royal family will be in attendance
Readings
Lessons will be read by The Right Honourable the Baroness Scotland of Asthal KC and Prime Minister Liz Truss, the former of which will deliver the first while the PM will read the second.
Later in the ceremony, a sermon will be read by The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby, which will then prompt the Choir to sing the Anthem, ‘My soul, there is a country’, set by Hubert Parry; an Anthem of great hope.
A Committal Service at St George's Chapel in Windsor will follow the funeral
Towards the end of the service, The Archbishop of Canterbury will go on to give the Commendation, while The Dean will later pronounce the Blessing, prompting The Last Post.
What will happen at the end of the service?
The service will draw to a close with The Last Post, which will be sounded by the State Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry from the steps of the Lady Chapel.
Two minutes' silence will then be observed across the UK. The Reveille will then be sounded by the State Trumpeters before the National Anthem is sung.
At the conclusion of the State Funeral, The Sovereign’s Piper of the Royal Regiment of Scotland will play the traditional Lament, 'Sleep, dearie, sleep'.
The coffin will be borne in Procession out of Westminster Abbey, returning to the Gun Carriage for the Procession to Wellington Arch, Hyde Park Corner, before travelling to Windsor for the Committal Service in St George's Chapel.
Afterwards, the bells of Westminster Abbey will be rung, fully muffled, as is the tradition following the Funeral of the Sovereign.
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