Will there be a day off and how do you pay your respects to the Queen?
As the country adjusts to the death of the Queen and the reign of a new monarch, the public will be given the chance to pay their respects to the nation’s longest serving head of state.
– Is there already a new monarch?
Yes. The Prince of Wales is King. He became the sovereign immediately on the death of his mother.
– Will Charles abdicate in favour of his son William?
– Is Camilla now Queen?
Yes, as the wife of the King. The Queen publicly backed her to use the title, and Camilla is now styled “Her Majesty The Queen”.
She is a Queen Consort, like the Queen Mother was, rather than a Queen Regnant like Elizabeth II.
– Will Charles make a televised address?
Yes. He is expected to speak to the nation, paying tribute to the Queen and pledging his duty to his service as the new sovereign.
– Will the Queen lie in state?
There is expected to be a lying in state for several days.
– What about the Queen’s funeral?
There will be a state funeral at Westminster Abbey for invited guests, followed by a committal service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
Both will be televised.
– Will everyone get a day off?
It is also expected to make the day of the Queen’s funeral a form of public holiday – a National Day of Mourning – as a mark of respect.
But it may be up to individual businesses to decide whether they close.
A two-minute silence will be held across the country.
– How do I pay my respects on the day of the funeral?
Plans include a military procession through London as the Queen’s coffin is taken to and from Westminster Abbey, while, in Windsor, the coffin is expected to be driven through the town to St George’s Chapel.
The Queen will be buried privately in St George’s Chapel’s King George VI memorial chapel, an annexe to the main church.
– How else can I pay my respects?
Books of condolence may be opened at royal residences, town halls across the country and at British embassies around the world.
But after Philip’s death in April 2021, an online book of condolence was set up instead to avoid the spread of Covid-19.
– Can I leave flowers and cards?
Millions of bouquets, cards and messages were left in tribute at Kensington Palace after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997, with flowers also left for Philip in 2021.
Members of the royal family usually take time to view the floral tributes in person.
– What will happen to the flowers and messages?
After Philip’s death, new floral tributes at Buckingham Palace were moved to Marlborough House – the home of the Commonwealth Secretariat – in central London each evening.
After Diana’s death, the flowers and gifts were eventually given to the sick, the elderly and to children.
Cards and messages were collected and stored for Diana’s family, while flowers that were no longer fresh were composted and used to grow new plants and flowers in Kensington Gardens.