King Charles Leads Procession to Queen Elizabeth's State Funeral at Westminster Abbey (original) (raw)

King Charles III is playing a major role in his mother's funeral proceedings.

The King, 73, joined members of the royal family as they followed Queen Elizabeth's coffin for a procession from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey before her state funeral began on Monday morning in London.

The new monarch was solemn, walking behind the Queen's coffin with siblings Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.

Emilio Morenatti/AP/Shutterstock

Behind him were his two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, walking beside their cousin, Princess Anne's son, Peter Phillips.

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Members of Queen Elizabeth's household also participated in the procession.

BBC America

Just before 11 a.m. local time, the Royal Standard-draped coffin reached Westminster Abbey, as bearers lifted it from the carriage and into the ancient church, which swelled with over 2,000 people from around the world. Inside, a service will be led by David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster.

The Last Post, the traditional bugle call of the British infantry, will ring out at 11:55 a.m., before a two-minute silence is observed across the U.K. The service is set to conclude at noon.

From there, the coffin will process 1 ½ miles to Wellington Arch in Hyde Park in central London and leave the capital city in the State Hearse. Members of the royal family are again expected to walk behind during this time.

Queen Elizabeth's funeral. BBC America

The coffin will be taken west to Windsor, where the next procession will begin around 3:06 p.m.

Around 3:40 p.m., King Charles, Queen Camilla and the rest of the family will join the coffin's third and final journey, set to reach St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.

St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. Getty

More than 800 people are expected to attend the Queen's committal service there, and the event will have a more intimate feel than the state funeral.

The guests present at Westminster Abbey will not follow for the ceremony at Windsor. Instead, the pews will be filled with some of the people who knew the Queen best: her personal staff and those who worked on her estates. Her personal piper will also play a lament in her honor.

St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle. Alamy

When the service wraps, the Queen's family members will retire to Windsor Castle for a quiet reception. The ceremonies end around 7:30 p.m., when Queen Elizabeth is privately interred in St. George's Chapel.

There, she will be buried beside Prince Philip, her beloved husband of 73 years, and near her sister, Princess Margaret, and her parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.