Queen Elizabeth to be laid to rest today, top world leaders to attend
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Britain's longest-serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, will be honored with a full state funeral at Westminster Abbey today. In accordance with the wish of the Queen's successor, her son King Charles III, the public mourning period will continue across the country for a week after the funeral.
Around 500 world leaders, including President Droupadi Murmu and US president Joe Biden, will be among the over 2,000 dignitaries that will be attending the ceremony at Westminster Abbey.
The funeral will start at 11 am UK time (3.30 pm IST) and conclude with a two-minute silence around the country an hour later.
The funeral will be shown by around 125 cinemas across Britain, while parks, squares, and cathedrals will also set up viewing screens for the huge ceremonial event, the government said on Saturday.
At the funeral, the Queen's coffin will be carried on the same gun carriage used for her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria's funeral. The spectacular ceremony at Westminster Abbey - expected to be watched by billions around the globe - will see 142 sailors pulling the gun-carriage bearing her lead-lined coffin.
The route will be lined by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. The procession will pass by Parliament Square where members of the navy, army, and air force will form a Guard of Honour, accompanied by a band of the Royal Marines.
The procession will be led by Scottish and Irish regiments, the Brigade of Gurkhas, and the Royal Air Force numbering 200 musicians. The coffin will be followed by King Charles and members of the royal family.
After the televised service, the Queen's coffin will be transferred by royal hearse to Windsor Castle, west of London, for a committal service. That will be followed by a family-only burial in which the queen will be laid to rest alongside her late husband Prince Philip, her parents, and her sister.
Queen Elizabeth reigned for 70 years and 214 days - the first British sovereign to celebrate a platinum jubilee. She died aged 96.