Everything you need to know about the Queen's funeral, from procession route to where to watch

Over one million mourners and 500 foreign dignitaries are currently descending on London ahead of the Queen’s state funeral tomorrow.

The funeral will be one of the biggest events the UK has ever hosted, with the Metropolitan Police expected to deploy roughly 20,000 officers and Transport for London warning that it is facing one of the biggest challenges in its history.

Broadcasters are gearing up to provide extensive coverage of the event, which some predict could be the most-watched TV broadcast of all time.

Here’s a definitive guide to the historic event, including timings, routes and information on how to watch.

What time is the funeral procession and where will it go?

Since Wednesday, the Queen’s body has been lying in state at Westminster Hall where members of the public have been queueing for hours to pay their respect to the Queen.

The lying-in-state will officially end on Monday morning at 6.30am, at which point entry to the hall will be closed for members of the public.

Just after 10.35am, the Queen’s coffin will be lifted from the catafalque on which it has been placed since Wednesday, and will be carried in procession to the Royal Navy’s state gun carriage.

At 10.44am, the gun carriage, drawn by 142 Royal Navy personnel, will be taken on the short journey to Westminster Abbey where the state funeral service will take place.

The King and other members of the royal family will follow the coffin, alongside members of the King’s Household and the Household of the Prince of Wales.

What time is the state funeral service and how will it unfold?

The state funeral service will begin at 11am at Westminster Abbey. Further details about the Order of Service are expected later today.

At 11.55am, the Last Post, a short fanfare associated with military funerals, will sound followed by a two-minute silence.

Around noon, the Queen’s piper will play Reveille, a musical signal typically used to wake up military personnel in the morning, as well as the national anthem and a lament.

The coffin will then be carried back to the state gun carriage.

What route will the Queen’s coffin be taken through London?

After the funeral service, the Queen’s coffin will be taken in procession to Wellington Arch at Hyde Park corner, via Broad Sanctuary Parliament Square (south and east sides), Parliament Street, Whitehall, Horse Guards including Horse Guards Arch, Horse Guards Road, The Mall, Queen’s Gardens (south and west sides), Constitution Hill and Apsley Way.

The procession is expected to reach Wellington Arch at 1pm, at which point the coffin will be moved to the state hearse, which will depart for Windsor where the Queen is to be buried.

The state hearse is expected to arrive at Shaw Farm Gate on Albert Road, Windsor, at 3.06pm, at which point it will join the procession, which will be formed up and in position.

The procession will then travel along Albert Road, Long Walk, Cambridge Gate, Cambridge Drive, George IV Gate, Quadrangle (south and west sides), Engine Court, Norman Arch, Chapel Hill, Parade Ground and Horseshoe Cloister Arch.

King Charles and other royal family members who are walking in the procession will join it at 3.40pm at the quadrangle on the north side as it passes into Engine Court.

The procession will reach the bottom of the West Steps of St George’s Chapel in Horseshoe Cloister at 3.53pm, at which point the coffin will be carried up the steps for the televised committal service at 4pm. The service marks the end of the public ceremony.

At 7.30pm the Queen will be buried alongside the Duke of Edinburgh at the King George VI Memorial Chapel in a private service attended by the King and other family members.

How to watch the Queen’s funeral in person

Eight viewing areas are being set up in London to allow members of the public to view the funeral procession in person.

This includes six ‘ceremonial viewing areas’ from which people can watch the procession from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch:
• Green Park side of The Mall (blue) (accessible viewing places available
• St James’s Park side of The Mall and Horse Guards Road (pink) (accessible viewing places available)

Two other viewing areas are being set up from which people will be able to view the state hearse as it begins its journey to Windsor, alongside South Carriage Drive at Hyde Park and near the Albert memorial at Kensington Gardens.

Big screens are also being erected at Hyde Park, which will be turned on at 9am and will show the state funeral and all ceremonial events.

Viewing areas are being set up in Windsor along the Long Walk, which can be entered via either Kings Road or Albert Road.

From here people will be able to view the Committal Service in person and large screens will also be set up to allow those in Windsor to view the events in London in the morning.

The rest of the UK

Big screens are being put up in cities across the UK to allow people to congregate and watch the funeral together. These events include:

How to watch the Queen’s funeral on TV

BBC, ITV and Sky will all be broadcasting the state funeral, as well as all the other ceremonial events.

The BBC will be providing full coverage of the funeral across television, radio, iPlayer and BBC Sounds. A special programme will be on air from 8am to 5pm on BBC One, BBC Two and iPlayer, followed by a news bulletin and then a special episode of The One Show called Our Queen Remembered.

ITV will broadcast the service and procession live as part of a special programme with a documentary film broadcast at 7.30pm and a special programme at 9pm.

Coverage of the funeral will also be available for free throughout the day on Sky News, the Sky News App, YouTube and on Freeview.