The funeral of Queen Elizabeth II of Britain, who died Sept. 8 at 96, is set for 11 a.m. local time (3 a.m. Pacific) Monday at Westminster Abbey, site of the coronation and burial of English and British monarchs for nearly 1,000 years. As The Times reported Friday, it is the nation’s largest-ever security operation. It is also expected to draw a global television audience; here’s a network-by-network guide to watching the service live in the U.S.
From the place of her death, Scotland’s Balmoral Castle, the U.K.’s longest-reigning sovereign has transited over the last 11 days through Edinburgh and London to Buckingham Palace and thence to the Houses of Parliament, where her casket has lain in state since Wednesday, attracting hundreds of thousands of mourners.
After the service, Elizabeth will be transferred to Windsor Castle and interred in the royal vault with her sister, Princess Margaret; mother, Queen Elizabeth; and father, King George VI.
Follow along throughout the morning for live updates from around the globe: Nabih Bulos, Marcus Yam, Henry Chu and Christina Boyle reporting from London along with Eli Stokols, traveling with President Biden; Parth N.M. reporting from Mumbai; and Meredith Blake and Mary McNamara, following the television coverage from New York and Los Angeles, respectively.
1:10 a.m. Hours before the funeral was set to begin, the formal lying-in-state of the queen’s coffin ended at 6:30 a.m. local time, after hundreds of thousands of mourners filed past over more than four days.
The line, which snaked alongside the Thames, stretched as long as five miles at times, recalling the famous description by a Daily Mail journalist of the crowds that queued to pay respects to Winston Churchill’s casket in 1965: “Two rivers run silently through London tonight and one is made of people.”
By 8 a.m., when the doors of Westminster Abbey were opened for attendees to begin arriving, thousands of people were already thronging nearby streets to watch the coffin’s procession after the service from the abbey to Windsor, where the queen will be buried alongside her husband, Prince Philip. —HC
1:00 a.m. President Biden was among the world leaders who paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II on Sunday afternoon as she lay in state at London’s Westminster Hall.
The president and First Lady Jill Biden viewed the queen’s coffin from an elevated platform so as not to interrupt the seemingly endless line of people passing through after spending hours in line. He made a sign of the cross and put his hand on his heart as he paid his respects.
Moments later, after signing an official condolence book, Biden made brief comments about the queen, lauding her as a genuine person who reminded him of his own mother, describing her as “decent, honorable, and all about service.”
“To all the people of England, all the people of the United Kingdom, our hearts go out to you,” Biden went on. “And you were fortunate to have had her for 70 years. We all were. The world is better for her.”
Biden, who later attended a private reception at Buckingham Palace hosted by King Charles III, is among the leaders from nearly 200 countries who flew to London for Monday’s funeral.
He plans to return to Washington Monday afternoon, departing immediately after the funeral. Biden’s first meeting with new British Prime Minister Liz Truss was put off until later in the week, when both leaders will be in New York City for the United Nations General Assembly. —ES
Read more of our coverage of Queen Elizabeth II’s death and the aftermath:
Queen’s death adds another challenge for Britain at a troubled time: Elizabeth‘s death came as the country’s new prime minister is faced with urgent problems that could quickly boil over into full-blown crises, including runaway energy prices, soaring inflation and Brexit-induced questions over the future of Northern Ireland and Scotland within the United Kingdom.
King Charles now rules a monarchy that may have to change to survive: A rising tide of anti-royal sentiment thrusts a British throne without Elizabeth into precarious territory, particularly when her successor happens to be her less popular, long socially awkward son Charles.
For Americans, Queen Elizabeth II was the central character in the world’s longest-running soap opera: For 70 years, Elizabeth miraculously managed to be both universally known and utterly enigmatic. No wonder so many Americans were fascinated.