THE funeral of Queen Elizabeth is expected to become the most watched event in television history, attracting billions of viewers across the globe.
As many as 4.1 billion people are expected to tune in to see the monarch be laid to rest on Monday September 19.
The new king, Charles III, has declared that the day will be a bank holiday, and stores across the UK have said they will shut to allow staff to pay their respects to the late Queen.
The BBC and ITV will both be broadcasting the funeral on terrestrial and digital services, with technology helping more people to watch than ever before.
READ MORE: All the services closed across Scotland for the Queen's funeral
Carolina Beltramo, a TV analyst from the website watchtvabroad.com, said the widespread coverage would attract billions around the globe to see the “dawn of this new age”.
Beltramo said: “Such is the love and admiration for Queen Elizabeth around the world that her funeral is destined to be the biggest live TV event in history.
“No fewer than 4.1bn people are expected to tune in on Monday to witness this historic moment as half the people on planet earth pause to pay their respects.
“Thanks to advances in technology, which mean most of us now carry TVs around in our pockets, audience figures will eclipse the opening ceremony of the Atlanta Olympics, when 3.6bn people watched Muhammad Ali light the Olympic torch in 1996.
“In contrast, an estimated 2.5bn people watched the service for Diana, Princess of Wales, 25 years ago, with 31 million Brits tuning in. This was then a UK record for a live TV event.”
The Queen’s casket will be “Lying-in-State” in Westminster Hall in the Palace of Westminster for five days. Members of the public will be able to view the coffin from Wednesday September 14 at 5pm until 6.30am on Monday September 19.
After the “Lying-in-State” ends, the Queen will be taken to Westminster Abbey in a grand procession for the state funeral.
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