The Queen left Buckingham Palace for the last time early today, to make her final journey along crowd-lined streets of London to Westminster Hall. There Britain's longest-serving monarch is lying in state for the world to mourn. Video / Supplied
More details about the Queen's funeral have been revealed ahead of the service set to take place on Monday, September 19.
It will be an emotional day for the Queen's relatives and for the guests at the funeral, with plenty of pomp and ceremony to farewell the UK's longest-reigning monarch.
The proceedings will open with a service at Westminster Abbey. A cortege and military procession across London will follow, before a final ceremony with family at a chapel in Windsor Castle.
It's expected that huge crowds will gather along The Mall to watch the procession, and screens will be set up in the royal parks to broadcast coverage of the service.
What time will the funeral start?
The Queen's funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey at 11am BST on Monday September 19 - 10pm NZT.
The day will begin as her coffin is carried from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey, on the State Gun Carriage of the Royal Navy. The gun carriage was last seen in 1979, used at the funeral of Prince Philip's uncle Lord Mountbatten.
Senior members of the royal family, including King Charles III, will follow in procession.
The funeral will be broadcast on UK national television and will be streamed on the NZ Herald website, which will have up-to-the-minute live coverage beginning at 9.30pm on Monday.
Pallbearers from The Queen's Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards carry the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II past Camilla, Kate, Sophie and Meghan. Photo / Oli Scarff, Pool via AP
Where will the funeral be held?
The funeral service itself will be held at Westminster Abbey, the historic church where Britain's kings and queens are traditionally crowned. Elizabeth was crowned there in 1953, and it was also there that she married Prince Philip in 1947.
The abbey hasn't seen a monarch's funeral service since that of the Queen Mother in 2002.
Who will be attending?
The Queen's children, grandchildren and spouses of close family will be in attendance, including Prince Andrew's ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.
Her cousins the Duke of Kent, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, Princess Alexandra and Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, are also expected to attend.
Her close staff, such as her ladies-in-waiting, are expected to be there, and all holders of the Victoria Cross or George Cross will be welcome to attend, according to PA news agency.
Seating plans are yet to be confirmed as it's rumoured the Sussexes could be taking a back seat at the funeral service.
The guest list includes foreign royals, such as the King and Queen of Spain and the King and Queen of the Netherlands, and political leaders from across the world as well as the UK.
Prince William, Prince of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. Photo / AP
Invitations have not been sent to Russia, Belarus, and Myanmar. According to the Daily Telegraph, Venezuela and Syria are not invited as Britain does not have full diplomatic ties with them. Representatives from Afghanistan have not been invited due to the political situation there.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed she would attend the Queen's funeral, along with the Māori King Te Arikinui Tūheitia Paki, Dame Silvia Cartwright, V.C. Willie Apiata and Sir Don McKinnon.
"It is a privilege to attend the funeral alongside other New Zealanders from different walks of life to pay our respects on behalf of all New Zealanders," the PM said earlier this week.
The Dean of Westminster David Hoyle will likely conduct the service, with the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby giving the sermon. The British Prime Minister Liz Truss will read a lesson as part of the service.
At 11.55am the Last Post will be played, followed by a two-minute silence observed throughout the UK. Reveille, the national anthem and a lament will bring the service to a close.
Where will the Queen be buried?
Following the service, the Queen's coffin will be drawn in a walking procession from Westminster to Wellington Arch, at Hyde Park Corner in London, before travelling to Windsor via a hearse.
King Charles and other senior royals are expected to join the procession at the Quadrangle in Windsor Castle before the Queen's final journey ends at St George's Chapel.
At a committal service there, the casket will be lowered into the Royal Vault and interred in the King George VI memorial chapel inside St George's Chapel.
St George's Chapel is the church regularly used for royal weddings, christenings and funerals. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex married there in 2019 and the funeral of the Queen's late husband Prince Philip was held there.
Windsor Castle has been home to 40 monarchs across nearly 1000 years. It was particularly significant for the Queen herself. As a teenager she sheltered there during World War II as London faced bombings, and more recently it became her permanent home amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Queen will be laid to rest alongside her mother and her husband Prince Philip, who are also buried in the memorial chapel.
King Charles III is likely to be crowned next year. Photo / AP
What happens after?
The funeral will mark the end of the official 10-day mourning period observed in the UK, and heralds the changes in store for the rest of the royals.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who have been apart from their children Archie and Lilibet since before the Queen's death, will no doubt head back to the US when the mourning period is over. It's unlikely that much will change for the Sussexes, who have committed to forging their own path in the US.
The Prince and Princess of Wales will eventually move into Windsor Castle, but are likely to delay the move for the sake of their three children, as they have just recently moved into nearby Adelaide Cottage.
Prince Andrew is reportedly "anxious" about whether he will be allowed to keep his Windsor home, Royal Lodge - and his daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, will also be "vying for accommodation in the reshuffle".
Preparations will likely begin for Charles' coronation. An official date is yet to be announced, but according to the Daily Telegraph UK, it's likely to take place in the spring or summer of 2023, after a period of mourning for the Queen.
Elizabeth's coronation took place on June 2, 1953 - over a year after she ascended the throne in February 1952.
Camilla will be crowned Queen Consort beside her husband during his coronation, and William will formally be named the Prince of Wales.
After the coronation, the new King and Queen Consort will move from Clarence House to Buckingham Palace, marking the start of a new era for the British monarchy.
