Official mourning for Queen Elizabeth II, the U.K.’s longest-reigning monarch, culminates Monday morning with her state funeral in Westminster Abbey in London. The guest list for the service includes around 500 foreign dignitaries, including about 100 heads of state — President Biden among them — and after years of planning, an extensive security operation is being put to the test.
Queen Elizabeth died on September 8, at the age of 96, as her family gathered to be by her side at Balmoral Castle, her country estate in Scotland. Her eldest son, now King Charles III, has led the royal family, the nation and the world in honoring her legacy and ushering in a new era that is likely to present growing challenges for the Commonwealth.
Monday’s service will be broadcast live, with CBS News coverage beginning at 5:30 a.m. ET, anchored by Norah O’Donnell and Gayle King.
The Very Reverend Dr. David Hoyle, 39th Dean of Westminster Abbey, who will be officiating at the funeral, told CBS News, “I think you can be absolutely certain that some of the things the queen had hoped we would say will be part of the service.”
The queen’s funeral was preceded by days of carefully choreographed public events, including a majestic procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall on Wednesday. Countless admirers queued up for miles, waiting all day and night for a chance to file past the queen’s coffin during her four days of lying in state.
Following Monday’s service, the queen’s coffin will be taken in a walking procession to Hyde Park, and then by hearse to St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, her final resting place, where her late husband, Prince Philip, and her sister, Princess Margaret, are also interred.
Follow updates below as events unfold.
