Today, thousands will line the streets of London and millions which watch on through their television screen as the world mourns the death of the Queen.

The Queen passed away peacefully at Balmoral on Thursday September 8, sparking a period of national mourning, but Monday’s state funeral will celebrate the life of Britain’s longest-serving monarch.  

In the days since her death, the Queen’s coffin travelled from Balmoral to the royal residence in Scotland. Thousands of mourners lined the streets to pay their respects.

The coffin then remained in the Throne Room at the Palace of Holyroodhouse where staff paid their final respects before the trip to London where she left Buckingham Palace for the final time and the lying in state began.

But how much will it cost? Here is what we know.

 

How much will the Queen’s funeral cost and who will pay for it?

With it being 70 years since the death of the Queen’s father it is hard to predict exactly how much it could cost. The UK Government has said it will share details “in due course”. The eventual figure will be covered by the state.

In 2002, the funeral of the Queen’s mother reportedly cost £5.4m, with the funeral of Her late Majesty expected to be more expensive.

Speaking to the Big Issue, royal expert Elizabeth Norton predicted the Queen’s funeral will cost a “fair bit more” than that of her mother.

She said: “It is really difficult to give an estimate for the Queen’s funeral. No British monarch has died for 70 years and the monarch’s funeral always tends to be on a considerably larger scale than funerals for other members of the royal family.

“Prince Philip’s funeral was obviously fairly simple, due to Covid, but the funeral of the Queen Mother in 2002 reportedly cost around £5.4m. A large portion of that sum was in relation to policing, while the lying in state was also expensive.

"Although it is impossible to say exactly what the Queen’s funeral will cost, it will certainly be at least that sum and probably a fair bit more.”

What happens on the day of the Queen’s funeral?

The service will be televised, and a national two minutes’ silence will follow the Last Post being sounded at 11.55am.

Reveille, the national anthem and a lament, played by the Queen’s Piper, will bring the state funeral service to an end at approximately noon.

After the service, the coffin will be taken in procession from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch and then travel to Windsor.

Once there, the hearse will travel in procession to St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle via the Long Walk, after which a televised committal service will take place in St George’s Chapel.

Later in the evening, there will be a private interment service with senior members of the royal family.