How long is the mourning period for the Queen?

Following the sad death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II the nation will observe a period of mourning.

As Operation London Bridge continues, many people have questions about what will happen next and how long the mourning period is for.

How long is the mourning period for the Queen?

The official mourning period is ten days. The day of the Queen’s death is referred to as D-Day, and the remaining days are then D-Day+1, D-Day+2 and so on.

This is different to the Royal mourning period, which will be observed by members of the Royal family and household for a week after the funeral.

Flags have been lowered and are flying at half-mast, and books of condolence have been placed at British embassies.

Following the confirmation of the Queen’s passing, it was announced that King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla will return to London.

The Queen’s funeral is expected to take place ten days after her death, and if it is on a weekday it is regarded similarly to a bank holiday as the London Stock Exchange will not open. There will also be a bank holiday to mark the coronation of King Charles.

It took fourteen months for Queen Elizabeth II to have her coronation, such were the plans to be put in place following the death of her father, King George VI.

Comedy programming will be suspended during the period of mourning, and many public events will be cancelled too. The Mercury Awards were cancelled and the Royal Albert Hall has confirmed the Proms have also been cancelled.

On Saturday it is predicted that that senior political figures will swear an oath of loyalty to the new King, and he will then begin a tour of the UK home nations.

The Queen will remain in St Giles’ cathedral in Edinburgh for 24 hours, to allow close family members to pay their respects.

Next, the Queen will be moved to London where her coffin is expected to lie in state at Westminster Hall for three days.

Her state funeral will be held at Westminster Abbey in central London, before being laid to rest at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.

The Queen Mother was the last person to lie in state in 2002, after Prince Philip did not wish to due to the ongoing Covid pandemic.

TV presenters will be dressed in black throughout the period, however the public are not expected to.

Further details about the date of the funeral will be released in the coming days.