Gun salutes, a national address and 10 hours of tributes: How the country will mark the Queen’s death on Friday | UK News
The UK has been plunged into grief following the death of its longest-reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.
Following the announcement of her passing by Buckingham Palace, a number of notable moments took place, including her son becoming King Charles III, Prime Minister Liz Truss’ speech and tributes from global leaders.
Worldwide tributes to the ‘remarkable’ Queen – latest updates
A state of mourning has officially begun across the country, set to remain until the Queen’s funeral is held.
What will happen on Friday to mark the Queen’s death?
The King and his Queen Camilla will return to London from Balmoral, with the monarch to hold his first audience with Prime Minister Liz Truss.
The meeting of the House of Commons will not begin at 9:30 a.m. as scheduled, instead, both houses of Congress will gather at noon.
MPs and colleagues will be invited to pay their respects to the Queen during the session, due to Ms Trussset to last until 10pm.
The Government is not expected to announce any other business, unless anything urgent happens, to allow full focus on the Queen during the 10-hour sitting.
Read more: From new king to national mourning – here’s what happens now
Ms Truss and senior ministers will also hold a public memorial service at St Paul’s Cathedral in central London during the day.
The Government will then confirm the period of national mourning, which could be around 12 days, between now and the day after the Queen’s funeral.
It will also announce that the day of the funeral will be a public holiday in the form of a National Day of Mourning.
Throughout Friday, King Charles is likely to meet with the Earl Marshal, the Duke of Norfolk, who is in charge of the Queen’s funeral, to approve a carefully compiled schedule for the coming days.
He will also decide the length of court or royal mourning for royal members and royal households, which is expected to last a month.
In the evening, His Majesty is expected to address the nation in a televised address where he will pay tribute to his mother and pledge to hold the post of head of state.
In central London, 96 shots – one every year in the Queen’s life – will be fired in memory of the late monarch.
Churches have also been encouraged to ring their bells, with the Church of England sending instructions to parishes, chapels and cathedrals around the country encouraging them to stay open for prayer or special services .
The Central Council of Church Bellers has recommended that muffled bells be put away for one hour from noon.
Bells will ring at Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s Cathedral and Windsor Castle.
What will happen on Saturday?
Unusually, the House of Commons will hold a meeting on Saturday to allow senior MPs to swear allegiance to King Charles III.
The process will begin at 2 p.m. and is followed by memorial displays, which will continue until 10 p.m.
The session will conclude with a “formal humble speech” to the King at the end, “expressing the deep sympathies of the House of Commons” over the Queen’s death, the House of Commons’ said in a statement. .
All MPs will have the option to swear an oath to the King when the House of Commons returns, but are not required to do so.
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle will determine the timetable for the following days, but a significant reduction is expected until after the state funeral when Parliament adjourns.
This means that new laws cannot be passed until Parliament is back in action, although it can be revoked for the most pressing matters.
Also on Saturday morning, an Accession Council will meet at St James’s Palace in London to formally declare Charles as the new king.
The new king’s first public statement will then be read outdoors from the balcony of Friary Court at St James’s Palace by the King of Arms Garter.
Confederate flags return to the full pole at 1pm and stay there for 24 hours coinciding with claims before returning to the half pole.