What is happening today and in the coming days…
The death of Queen Elizabeth II opens a long period of mourning for the royal family which will last up to seven days after the funeral of the sovereign, the date of which remains to be specified.
Distinct from the national mourning to be announced by the British government, this “royal mourning”, which began on Friday September 9, will be observed by members of the royal family and the staff of the monarchy as well as the troops engaged in the ceremonies.
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Saturday, Charles III must be officially proclaimed king by the succession council, meeting at St. James’s Palace in London, near Buckingham Palace. He will receive the Prime Minister and the main members of the government in the afternoon. This is not his coronation, which will take place later.
Portrait of the new sovereign: The first day of King Charles III
For a few daysthe queen will be laid in state in a chapel in Scotland, where she died, before her coffin is taken to Holyrood Palace, the official residence of the monarch in Scotland.
A little after, the Queen’s remains will return to London. A ceremony will take place in Westminster – a first for four centuries – then the Queen will be buried at Windsor Castle, ending a ten-day period of national mourning initiated by her death.