Saturday 10 September 2022 01:46 AM How the Queen helped plan her own state funeral and chose Westminster Abbey as ... trends now
The nation will come to a halt in nine days' time as the Queen is laid to rest amid all the pomp and ceremony that Britain does best.
Our longest-serving monarch will have the first state funeral for more than half a century at Westminster Abbey on Monday, September 19.
As well as being the first since Winston Churchill's in 1965, it will also be the first at the abbey for any monarch since George II's way back in 1760.
Since then such funerals have been held at St George's Chapel, Windsor. But the Queen, who played an active role in planning her final send-off, decided hers should be in the much larger abbey.
It can hold a congregation of 2,000, compared with 800 at St George's Chapel and its central London location makes it a better spot for large crowds.
Our longest-serving monarch will have the first state funeral for more than half a century at Westminster Abbey on Monday, September 19. The Queen is photographed on June 2, 1953 smiling after her Coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London
The abbey is steeped in significance for the Queen because it is where she was crowned and married. The Queen Mother's funeral was also held there in 2002.
The date has yet to be confirmed and details of the funeral have yet to be announced. Yesterday it was still not clear whether there would be a public holiday.
But it is known that the funeral's planning began as long ago as in the 1960s. It is expected that after lying in state in Westminster Hall for five days, the Queen's coffin will be moved by a bearer party to a gun carriage outside.
She will be buried in the King George VI memorial chapel, an annex to the main chapel, where her mother and father George VI were buried, along with the ashes of her sister, Princess Margaret. Pictured is the Queen's father George VI lying in state at Windsor
The original plans are for the coffin to be pulled to the abbey on the gun carriage by naval ratings – sailors – using ropes rather than horses. Senior members of the family are expected to follow behind – as they did for the funeral of Princess Diana and the Duke of Edinburgh. The military will also join the procession.
Heads of state, prime ministers and presidents, European royals and key figures from public life will be invited to gather in the abbey.
One notable absence will be Vladimir Putin. The Russian leader has paid tribute to the Queen following her death, but the Kremlin has confirmed that he would not attend her funeral. The service will be televised, and a national two-minute silence is expected to be held.
Afterwards, the Queen's coffin will be taken to St George's Chapel, the burial place for monarchs since the 19th century. She
