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King Charles III has, in one of his first acts as monarch, said that it is his wish that official mourning for the queen be observed until seven days after her funeral.
Given that the funeral is expected to be held on Monday 19 September, this implies that the country will be in official mourning until 26 September.
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Some critics immediately said the period of mourning was too long and could lead to hardship if promoters, nervous of offending public sensibility, cancelled swathes of events.
Britain’s civil service issued a statement saying, “Royal mourning applies to royal households and national mourning for government and public bodies. There is no expectation on the public or organizations to observe specific behaviors during the mourning period.”
However, fears the mourning period could prompt a prolonged partial national shutdown were fueled as multiple events, including the weekend’s entire Premier League soccer schedule, were cancelled.
The well-prepared plans for the queen’s death and funeral, codenamed Operation London Bridge, slid into action Friday, with Charles boarding a plane to London and expected at Buckingham palace at 2pm local time. Gun salutes will be fired in London parks at 6pm, a public church service will be held at St Paul’s Cathedral in London. Charles will make a televised address to the nation.
Saturday 10 September will see the meeting of the Accession Council to formally proclaim Charles as the new sovereign.
On Sunday, the queen’s coffin will be taken to her Scottish residence, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, in Edinburgh. The public will be able to view the coffin on Monday, and on Tuesday the coffin will be flown to London. After spending a night at Buckingham Palace, the queen, from Wednesday, will lie in state at Westminster Hall for four days.
Senior royals will standing guard around the coffin in the so-called “Vigil of the Princes.”
Charles and Camilla, meanwhile, will be undertaking a full tour of the United Kingdom, visiting all four of its nations.
Thursday next week is likely to see a rehearsal, at dawn, for the state funeral, and from Friday foreign dignitaries will begin to arrive in London.
Monday 19 September is expected to be the day of the state funeral, the grandest funeral to be held in London in living memory. A national two-minute silence will like.
It is unclear what, if any, formal events the additional week of mourning will involve.
