What time is the Queen's funeral? Who will wear military uniform? And other questions

SEPT 17: It will last until the end of Monday - the day of her funeral.

What time is the Queen's funeral?

The funeral will take place at 11:00 BST on Monday 19 September. It will be held at Westminster Abbey in London, the historic church where Britain's kings and queens are crowned.

The ceremony is expected to draw to a close just before noon, when the Last Post - a short bugle call - will be played.

A two-minute national silence will follow.

What does lying-in-state mean?

Lying-in-state describes the formal occasion in which a coffin is placed on view before the funeral ceremony.

It happens after the death of a King, Queen or Queen Consort, and sometimes former prime ministers.

The Queen's lying-in-state began at 17:00 BST on Wednesday at Westminster Hall. It will continue until 06:30 BST on Monday.

Hundreds of thousands of mourners are expected to file past. Those wishing to attend will have to queue for many hours.

The BBC is offering a dedicated stream of the lying-in-state, for people who cannot attend. It is available on the BBC home page, the BBC News website and app, the iPlayer, BBC Parliament and the Red Button.

What happens during a vigil?

The ritual of watching over a coffin is known as a vigil.

During the Queen's lying-in-state, each corner of the platform on which her coffin rests is being guarded around the clock by a vigil of soldiers.

The soldiers are from units from the Sovereign's Bodyguard, the Household Division and the Yeoman Warders of the Tower of London.

King Charles and his siblings - Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward - will stand vigil at 19:30 BST on Friday. They also held a vigil on Monday evening, as the Queen lay at rest in St Giles' Cathedral, in Edinburgh.

The Queen's grandchildren will stand vigil beside her coffin on Saturday evening.

Who will wear military uniform?

Buckingham Palace said that only working members of the Royal Family who hold military rank could wear uniform at the five ceremonial events marking the Queen's death. These are:

-the service of thanksgiving at St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh

-the procession to Westminster Hall, and service of prayer and reflection

-the vigil at Westminster Hall

-the state funeral service at Westminster Abbey

-the committal service at St George's Chapel Windsor

This means King Charles, the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal and the Earl of Wessex will wear military dress.

Prince Andrew and the Duke of Sussex will not wear uniform to most events.

However, it is understood that a special exception has been made for Prince Andrew to wear military uniform during the Westminster Hall vigil.

The King has also requested that Prince Harry wear military uniform at the vigil of the Queen's grandchildren.

Prince Andrew spent 22 years in the Royal Navy, and served as a helicopter pilot during the Falklands War in 1982. He stepped down as a working Royal in 2019 after a controversial Newsnight interview and was later stripped of his military titles.

He was the only one of the Queen's children not to wear uniform when they accompanied her coffin to St Giles Cathedral on Monday, although he did wear a number of medals and military decorations.

Prince Harry served in the Army for 10 years and was deployed to Afghanistan twice. He lost his military titles when he and his wife Meghan Markle stepped back from their senior royal roles in March 2020.

What is a state funeral?

A state funeral is typically held for a king or queen and follows strict rules of protocol. A military procession carries the coffin to Westminster Hall, and is followed by a period of lying-in-state, and a service at Westminster Abbey or St Paul's Cathedral.

In rare cases, a state funeral can also be held for "other exceptionally distinguished persons". These have included Sir Isaac Newton, Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and Lord Palmerston.

The last state funeral was that of Sir Winston Churchill on 30 January 1965. The state funeral of George VI, the Queen's father, took place on 15 February 1952.

Ceremonial funerals share many of the elements of state funerals.

These were held for Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997 and the Queen Mother in 2002. Baroness Thatcher had a ceremonial funeral with full military honours at St Paul's Cathedral in 2013.

How can I watch the funeral?

It will be on BBC Television and available to stream on BBC iPlayer, with updates on the BBC News website and BBC Radio throughout the day.

Other networks are also expected to broadcast the event, which will be shown on big screens in many towns and cities.

Who else will attend the funeral?

About 500 leaders and dignitaries from the UK and around the world will join the Royal Family at Westminster Abbey.

They include Belgium's King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands and King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain, as well as members of the royal families of Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Monaco.

US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will all attend.

Other world leaders due to take part include the Japanese Emperor Naruhito, Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin, French President Emmanuel Macron, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has been invited but is not thought likely to attend.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has not been invited, and nor have representatives from Afghanistan, Belarus, Myanmar, Syria or Venezuela.

Where will the Queen be buried?

After the funeral ceremony the Queen's coffin will be taken in a procession to Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner.

The procession will be led by members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the route will be lined by members of the armed forces. The King will lead members of the Royal Family walking in the procession.

The coffin will then be taken by state hearse to Windsor.

It will then be taken in another procession to St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.

At 16:00 BST there will be a committal service in the chapel with a small congregation, including the Royal Family. This will end with the coffin being lowered into the Royal Vault. This service will also be televised

Later in the day, in a private service, the coffin will be interred at the King George VI memorial chapel, inside St George's Chapel.

Will there be a bank holiday?

Yes. One of King Charles III's first acts as monarch was to approve a national bank holiday, on the day of the Queen's state funeral.

The government says it will "give as many people as possible the opportunity on the day of the State Funeral to mark Her Majesty's passing".

Will shops and schools be closed?

The right to have a bank holiday off is not automatic. The government says it encourages "employers to respond sensitively to requests from workers who wish to take time off".

However, many major shops and businesses across the UK have announced they will be closed.

Schools will also be closed.

GP surgeries can close, some dentists will not see patients and some hospitals have cancelled routine appointments.

There is no obligation to cancel or postpone events.

However, government guidance says if sporting fixtures or events are planned for the day of the funeral, organisations may want to adjust the timings.

When is the coronation?

No date has been set so far for the coronation, which is when King Charles is formally crowned.

The ceremony is unlikely to take place immediately, because of the planning required. Queen Elizabeth succeeded to the throne in February 1952, but was not crowned until June 1953.

With inputs frm BBC.