Queen Elizabeth II funeral: Royal family attends private burial service

LONDON — Thousands of mourners gathered in Monday to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II at a state funeral, a subsequent procession through London and a committal service at St. George’s Chapel.

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About 2,000 people -- including King Charles III, other members of the royal family and President Joe Biden -- attended the funeral service for the queen, The Associated Press reported. Thousands more gathered along the path of a subsequent procession that transported the queen’s coffin from Westminster Abbey to Windsor Castle.

A group of mourners attended a smaller committal service at St. George’s Chapel. The queen will later be buried alongside her late husband, Prince Philip, in a private service at the King George VI Memorial Chapel.

Here are the latest updates:

Update 2:55 p.m. EDT Sept. 19: Details of the burial service for Elizabeth have not been shared. Buckingham Palace officials called it a “deeply personal family occasion,” according to BBC News.

The Right Rev. David Connor, dean of Windsor, will lead the service before the queen’s burial, The Guardian reported. A small crowd gathered outside Windsor Palace on Monday evening ahead of the event, according to the newspaper.

Update 2:40 p.m. EDT Sept. 19: Officials on Monday shared a photo taken in 1947 of Elizabeth with her husband, Prince Philip, alongside her mother, her father and her sister ahead of a private burial set to take place at the King George VI Memorial Chapel.

Elizabeth will be buried with her husband at the chapel. Also buried there are her mother, father and sister.

Update 2 p.m. EDT Sept. 19: It remained unclear Monday when the coronation will be held for Charles following the death of his mother earlier this month.

Traditionally, the coronation of the new British monarch happens months after his or her accession, according to Buckingham Palace.

Update 12:25 p.m. EDT Sept. 19: The queen will lie in rest at St. George’s Chapel until a burial service later Monday, according to The Guardian.

During the small, private service -- which is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. local time (2:30 p.m. EDT) -- the queen will be buried at King George VI Memorial Chapel with her late husband, Prince Philip. Also buried at the chapel are her father, King George VI, the queen mother and her sister, Margaret, The Guardian reported.

Update 12:10 p.m. EDT Sept. 19: Members of the royal family have left St. George’s Chapel following a committal ceremony for Elizabeth.

Update 12 p.m. EDT Sept. 19: The committal service for Elizabeth has ended.

Update 11:54 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: The queen’s coffin has been lowered into the Royal Vault as part of a committal service Monday.

Elizabeth will later be buried alongside her longtime husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburg, at the King George VI Memorial Chapel.

Update 11:50 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: The Imperial State Crown, the Orb and the Sceptre were removed from the queen’s coffin and placed on the alter at St. George’s Chapel as part of the committal service Monday.

Charles put ta regimental flag -- the Company Camp Colour of the Grenadier Guards -- on her coffin.

The service is ongoing.

Update 11:35 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: The Right Rev. David Connor, the dean of Windsor, read Revelation chapter 21, verses 1 to 7, before prayers were shared from the rector of Sandringham, the minister of Crathie Kirk and the chaplain of the Royal Chapel, Windsor Great Park.

Update 11:30 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: The Right Rev. David Connor, the dean of Windsor, opened the committal service for Elizabeth on Monday with a bidding.

“We have come together to commit into the hands of God the soul of his servant Queen Elizabeth,” he said.

“Here, in St George’s Chapel, where she so often worshipped, we are bound to call to mind someone whose uncomplicated yet profound Christian faith bore so much fruit. Fruit, in a life of unstinting service to the nation, the Commonwealth and the wider world, but also (and especially to be remembered in this place) in kindness, concern and reassuring care for her family and friends and neighbors.

“In the midst of our rapidly changing and frequently troubled world, her calm and dignified presence has given us confidence to face the future, as she did, with courage and with hope. As, with grateful hearts, we reflect on these and all the many other ways in which her long life has been a blessing to us, we pray that God will give us grace to honor her memory by following her example, and that, with our sister Elizabeth, at the last, we shall know the joys of life eternal.”

Update 11:25 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: Elizabeth’s coffin has been placed on the catafalque in St George’s Chapel.

Update 11:18 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: The queen’s coffin has been carried into St. George’s Chapel, where a committal service will be held.

Update 11:10 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: The queen’s coffin has been removed from a hearse outside St. George’s Chapel, where a committal service will be held shortly.

Among those to attend the service are past and present members of the queen’s household, prime ministers, and other officials, according to Buckingham Palace.

Update 11:05 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: Members of the royal family, including Charles, joined the queen’s funeral procession Monday after a hearse carrying her coffin arrived at St. George’s Chapel ahead of a committal service.

Update 10:58 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: The queen’s coffin has arrived on the grounds of Windsor Castle.

Update 10:55 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: The queen’s horse, Emma, and her corgis, Muick and Sandy, are awaiting her arrival Monday at Windsor Castle, according to multiple reports.

Update 10:45 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: Biden left London on Monday after attending the state funeral for Elizabeth.

The president left from London Stansted Airport just after 2:10 p.m. local time (9:10 a.m. EDT) with first lady Jilly Biden and several officials, according to the White House.

Update 10:30 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: The journey up the Long Walk to Windsor Castle will mark the last part of the queen’s funeral procession ahead of a committal service scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. local time (11 a.m. EDT).

The service will be held at St. George’s Chapel.

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Update 10:25 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: The queen’s funeral procession has reached the Long Walk at Windsor.

Update 10:10 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: The queen’s coffin arrived Monday at Windsor ahead of a committal service at St. George’s Castle.

The service is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. local time (11 a.m. EDT).

Update 10:05 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: The royal family is expected to escort Elizabeth’s coffin into St. George’s Chapel following a procession to Windsor Castle on Monday. A service will follow at 4 p.m. local time (11 a.m. EDT).

Thousands of people crowded the sidewalks as a hearse carrying Elizabeth’s coffin traveled from Wellington Arch to Windsor Palace following an earlier state funeral.

Update 9:55 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: The final services to honor the life of Elizabeth were emotional for many members of the public and for members of the royal family, including Princess Charlotte.

The princess, the daughter of Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, appeared to cry Monday at Wellington Arch following the state funeral of her late great grandmother.

Update 9:40 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: Hundreds of people attended the state funeral service for Elizabeth on Monday, including members of the royal family, Biden and first lady Jill Biden.

Update 9:10 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: People threw flowers and cheered Monday as a hearse carrying the queen’s coffin made its way toward Windsor Castle following her state funeral.

Update 8:50 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: The queen’s coffin made its final journey through London on Monday following a state funeral service at Westminster Abbey. See the procession from the abbey to Wellington Arch:

SEE: Queen Elizabeth II's funeral procession Thousands lined the streets to watch Queen Elizabeth II's funeral procession. (NCD)

Update 8:43 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: The queen’s coffin has been moved from a gun carriage onto a hearse to complete the journey from Wellington Arch to Windsor Castle, where there will be a committal service at St. George’s Chapel.

Update 8:30 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: The procession carrying the queen’s coffin has arrived at Wellington Arch.

The arch was built in the 1820s and originally served as the entrance to Buckingham Palace, according to BBC News and The Guardian. It was later moved to its current location to commemorate the Duke of Wellington’s defeat of Napoleon.

Update 8:20 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: The queen passed Buckingham Palace for the last time Monday as a procession carried her coffin following her funeral in London.

The palace was the main home for Elizabeth’s family from the time of her coronation in 1953 until the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, according to BBC News.

Update 7:50 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: As the procession continues toward Wellington Arch, gun salutes are being fired in Hyde Park, according to the AP.

Update 7:21 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: Senior members of the British royal family are walking behind the queen’s coffin in a procession to Wellington Arch, according to CNN.

Update 7:10 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: The queen’s coffin is being carried from Westminster Abbey, according to the AP.

Update 7:05 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: The queen’s funeral service has concluded with a two-minute moment of silence, the singing of the U.K. national anthem and the piper’s lament, according to the AP.

Update 6:52 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: Hymns sung during the service include “The Lord’s My Shepherd,” which was sung at the queen’s 1947 wedding to Prince Philip, and “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling,” which was sung at the 2011 wedding of Prince William and Catherine, the Princess of Wales, according to the AP and CNN.

Queen Elizabeth II's funeral The queen will later be buried alongside her late husband, Prince Philip, in a private service at the King George VI Memorial Chapel. (NCD)

Update 6:36 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby lauded the queen during the service, CNN reported.

“Her Majesty famously declared on a 21st birthday broadcast that her whole life would be dedicated to serving the nation and commonwealth,” he said, according to the news outlet. “Rarely has such a promise being so well-kept. Few leaders receive the outpouring of love that we have seen.”

Update 6:29 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: Dean of Westminster David Hoyle began the queen’s funeral service, according to the AP.

“We gather from across the nation, from the Commonwealth, and from the nations of the world to mourn our loss, to remember her long life of selfless service, and in sure confidence to commit her to the mercy of God, our maker and redeemer,” he said.

Update 6:10 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: Reporters from the scene captured photos as members of the royal family arrived for the funeral.

Update 6 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: The service has begun at Westminster Abbey, according to the AP.

Update 5:55 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: The queen’s coffin has reached Westminster Abbey, according to CNN.

Update 5:46 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: Britain’s King Charles III and other members of the royal family are walking behind the queen’s coffin in a procession from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey, according to the AP.

Update 5:33 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: Britain’s King Charles III and his sons, Princes William and Harry, have arrived at Westminster Hall ahead of the procession, according to the AP.

Update 5:30 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: The U.K.’s new prime minister, Liz Truss, has arrived at Westminster Abbey, according to the BBC.

Update 5:06 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden have arrived at Westminster Abbey, according to the AP.

Update 5 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: World leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, are beginning to file into Westminster Abbey ahead of the queen’s state funeral, CNN is reporting.

Update 4:29 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: Westminster Abbey’s bell has begun to toll in honor of the queen, according to the AP. It will ring every minute for 96 minutes – once for each year of her life.

Meanwhile, London Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted shortly before 9:30 a.m. London time (4:30 a.m. EDT) that all of the procession viewing areas open to the public are now full.

Update 4:07 a.m. EDT Sept. 19: Guests have begun to arrive at Westminster Abbey ahead of the queen’s state funeral, according to the AP.

The doors opened at 8 a.m. London time (3 a.m. EDT). Many of the dignitaries were slated to arrive later via bus, the news agency reported.

Original report: Queen Elizabeth II’s lying-in-state officially came to a close early Monday, hours before the late monarch’s state funeral was scheduled to begin in London.

According to the AP, the queen, who died Sept. 8 at her Balmoral estate in Scotland, had been lying in state in Westminster Hall since Wednesday afternoon. The public viewing, during which tens of thousands of people waited in a miles-long line, continued for 24 hours a day until 6:30 a.m. London time (1:30 a.m. EDT) Monday, the BBC reported.

– The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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