After months of poor health, Queen Elizabeth II finally died on September 8th aged 96.
Commonwealth countries have since entered into a 10-day period of mourning, with the official funeral set to take place today.
It will be the culmination of an incredibly lengthy procession, with Elizabeth’s body being taken from Balmoral Castle in Scotland to London’s Westminster Hall. After arriving at the latter, thousands of people – including football legend David Beckham – queued in London to pay their respects at her coffin.
Her body will now be taken to Westminster Abbey before making its way to Windsor Castle, Elizabeth’s final resting place.
In Britain, funeral footage is inescapable, with even some cinemas showing the event, but royalists in Australia can also watch the ceremony.
Elizabeth’s funeral begins at 11am U.K. time today, or 8pm AEST. It will be available to watch on ABC News from 5pm onwards, stretching from the official arrivals at Westminster Abbey to the official funeral.
From 8pm, an hour-long service will be held, with thousands of dignitaries and notables from across the Commonwealth in attendance. The service will finish at 8:55pm AEST with a two-minute silence and a rendition of the British national anthem.
In better news for Australians, the country will be given a day off this week to mark Elizabeth’s death. A National Day of Mourning has been declared for Thursday, September 22nd, the day after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese returns from the funeral in London.
The PM told the ABC it will be a one-off national public holiday. “That’s to allow people to pay their respects for the passing of Queen Elizabeth,” he said. “I spoke to all Premiers and chief ministers yesterday and I’m writing to them formally this morning, they will have received their letters by now. They have all agreed that it’s appropriate that it be a one-off national public holiday.”
