What can 4,000,000,000 viewers expect from Queen’s funeral?
The Queen’s funeral will be a ‘solemn yet spectacular’ show to the world, a Royal expert has claimed.
Royal fans and well-wishers have already started to camp overnight to try and get a spot on the Mall to view the former monarch’s final trip.
The televised broadcast of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral will be watched by an estimated 4.1billion people across the world, and is single biggest policed event the UK has ever seen.
Royal expert, Richard Fitzwilliam has given his thoughts on what her funeral will entail.
We already know it will begin at around 11am after her coffin is taken from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey.
A procession led by King Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, as well as William and Harry, will take her coffin on the route.
After the funeral, the coffin will travel from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch near Hyde Park Corner, before continuing on to Windsor.
MORE : Live tracker shows how long the queue is to see Queen lying in state
Mr Fitzwilliam told Metro.co.uk: ‘It will be a tribute to somebody who is unique and it will be a unique service.
‘The scale will be enormous, there will be a huge number of world leaders, perhaps more than Winston Churchill’s funeral which is always the template for such events.’
It will be dignified, it will be solemn it will be spectacular, and it will be symbolic to the British excellence for precision and pageantry
‘It won’t be like anything we’ve seen before.’
He added: ‘The Queen’s reign wasn’t like what we’ve seen before, and neither will her funeral. Her longevity was unique but her relationship with her subjects was unique here and within the commonwealth
‘It will be historic in more sense than one.
‘Obviously the choice of guests will be varied, and when it comes to who comes to be asked it will be heads of state, but there’s no official list as of yet.
‘But it will surely encompass all walks of life.
‘There will also be military heroes, along with Victoria and George cross winners.
‘There will be a variety of individual that will all have been touched by the queen in different ways.’
Schedule for The Queen’s funeral
6.30am: Lying-in-state at Westminster Hall will end.
8am: The doors to Westminster Abbey, where the funeral will be held, open three hours early to the 2,000 invitees.
10.35am: Her Majesty The Queen’s coffin will leave its current location of Westminster Hall, where HM is lying-in-state, and travel in the State Gun Carriage to Westminster Abbey.
A procession will lead through New Palace Yard, Parliament Square and Broad Sanctuary and the Sanctuary, before reaching the Abbey.
It will be led by King Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward along with Prince William and Prince Harry.
10.52am: The Queen’s coffin will arrive at Westminster Abbey.
11am: The Queen’s funeral will begin.
11.55am: The funeral will draw to a close with the sounds of the Last Post.
12pm: The UK will observe a two-minute silence at the end of The Queen’s funeral.
12.15pm: After the funeral, The Queen’s coffin will travel from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch near Hyde Park Corner, before continuing on to Windsor.
King Charles and members of the Royal Family will walk behind the coffin to Wellington Arch, via Parliament Square, Parliament Street, Whitehall, Horse Guards (including Horse Guards Arch and Horse Guards Road), The Mall, Queen’s Gardens, finally Constitution Hill and Apsley Way.
1pm: Just after this time, Her Majesty’s coffin will be moved from the State Gun Carriage to the State Hearse, and travel from London to Windsor on an as-yet unknown road.
3.15pm: Now in Windsor, the final procession to St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, via the Long Walk, begins at Shaw Farm Gate on Albert Road.
Once again, there will be a process of Royal Family members and The King behind the State Hearse.
4pm: The Queen’s coffin will be carried into St George’s Chapel, where a televised Committal Service will take place, held by the Dean of Windsor.
7.30pm: The Queen will be interred alongside Prince Philip at King George VI Memorial Chapel in Windsor Castle privately.
Speaking about the service, he said it will be a ‘modern’ and incredibly emotional.
He said: ‘I expect the service would special relevance to the Queen’s reign and to the various jubilees and commemorations that occurred during that reign.
‘There will certainly be modern elements too it, but it is still unclear what those will be just yet.
‘You have new elements like the fact she passed in Scotland there will be a link between Scotland and her Majesty.
‘The accession council was televised and various other walkabouts, and this will be one of the greatest moments in British history. Nothing will ever be like this.
‘What is chosen will undoubtedly have important links to the Queen’s 70 years on the throne.
‘Hymns and Psalms and readings will all be those that have particular relevance to her.
‘It will be magnificent, resplendent it will be solemn; it will be very very moving.’
He said: ‘I feel that when the Queen came home to London it was the beginning of the goodbye, and the funeral will truly be her final goodbye before she joins her husband.
‘It isn’t so much as comparing her funeral to others that have come before, because she was unique, her subjects feel a deep love for her and that will be expressed at the funeral and I am sure it will make it magnificent.
‘Billions will watch it around the world. She was an incredible figure when it came to her international profile.
‘It will be interwoven and will include not just British history but the world’s history.’
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