King Charles III has declared Monday 19 September, the day of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral, a national bank holiday Monday, and the government is encouraging employers to allow workers who want to take time off to do so. It seems many agree that encouraging the country to stop in its tracks, just for one day, is the least the Queen deserved for her historic 70 years as monarch. Record-breaking numbers of visitors are expected to come to London both from around the UK and abroad to celebrate her life. There are even fears that transport, health and multiple other services may not be able to cope with such sudden increased demand. Here’s a round-up of both the huge royal events you can attend over the now three-day bank holiday weekend, plus alternative ideas for those keen to avoid the masses.
The big events with the big crowds (and queues)
1. Walk past the Queen’s coffin at any time of day
The official way to pay your respects, you can file past the Queen’s body during her Lying-in-State in Westminster Hall 24 hours a day all weekend, right up until 6.30am on Monday 19 September. You’ll see her closed coffin on a ‘catafalque’ – a raised platform – covered in the Royal Standard flag, with an Orb and Sceptre on top. The UK government website very candidly states that those wishing to attend must be prepared to queue for “many hours, possibly overnight … with very little opportunity to sit down, as the queue will keep moving,” so to “please consider this before you decide to attend or bring children”. Rumoured wait times at time of publication are up to 30 hours, with estimates for the number of people likely to come ranging from 750,000 to more than a million, and for the size of the queue to reach up to five miles. Thankfully, additional portable toilets, water and first aid stations are being dotted around the area. Be prepared for airport-style security gates, a list of forbidden items and specific bag-size requirements, and for the queue to be closed a long time before the doors officially shut on Monday morning, in order to ensure the majority of those waiting can actually get inside the building (and note – being handed a wristband when you join the queue doesn’t guarantee entry if time does run out). Should you not be up to the long wait times, the BBC is live streaming footage of the Queen's coffin here.
Price: Free
When: 5pm, Wednesday 14 September – 6.30am, Monday 19 September 2022
Where: The queue starts from Albert Embankment where it meets Lambeth Bridge on the south side of the Thames; From there, the queue snakes along the South Bank
Website: gov.uk
2. Witness the stunning floral tributes in Green and Hyde Park
Although thousands of grievers instinctively made their way to Buckingham Palace to lay rivers of multi-coloured flowers in front of the gates after the news of the Queen’s passing broke, The Royal Parks has now asked that they all be taken directly to dedicated Floral Tribute Gardens in nearby Green and Hyde Park. This is where staff are sensitively moving any bouquets in good condition left elsewhere. All cards and notes are also being taken and safely stored. Even if you don’t intend on leaving anything yourself (not even Paddington-friendly marmalade sandwiches, which are being politely advised against due to their potential to attract vermin), the sea of petals is probably something that won’t be seen again, at least on the same scale, in most of our lifetimes. Expect queues of up to two hours to get into the gardens – although Green Park is open 24 hours a day so, if you’re really dedicated, you could pick an anti-social hour and sail straight in.
Price: Free
When: Now until approximately Monday 3 October 2022
Where: Green Park and Hyde Park
Website: royalparks.org.uk
3. Listen to Big Ben’s muffled bongs
At 9am on bank holiday Monday, the fastidiously planned proceedings shall include the sound of Big Ben, or Elizabeth Tower’s clock chiming at 9am. The bells, however, will be softer than usual, thanks to the insertion of a specific piece of leather. While you can hear Big Ben at its normal volume up to five miles away, you’ll have to get closer to make out the quieter, more meaningful beats on this special day.
Price: Free
When: 9am, Monday 19 September 2022
Where: Elizabeth Tower, Houses of Parliament, Westminster, London SW1A 0AA
Website: parliament.uk
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4. Line the streets for the funeral procession
While the coffin will be moved a few hundred metres from Westminster Hall to its Abbey on the morning of the funeral, culminating with the 11am national silence as it enters the building, the longer procession will be its transportation after the service. This is when the Queen shall be moved on her final journey to Wellington Arch, along the Long Walk to St George’s Chapel in Windsor. Expect a full military parade featuring the RAF and Navy along The Mall, ending at Hyde Park Corner. A gun salute will also take place beforehand in Hyde Park – with one round per minute from 12.15pm.
Price: Free
When: 1pm, Monday 19 September 2022
Where: Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch
Website: royal.uk
5. Watch the funeral via a screen in Hyde Park - or at the cinema
There will be 2,000 invite-only attendees inside Westminster Abbey, so the rest of us will be watching it via a TV of some sort. It has been confirmed that there will be a public screen in Hyde Park broadcasting it live, and there have been rumours of several further screens around London, although their locations have not been revealed as yet. Alternatively, Vue cinemas in the capital and right across the country will be showing the funeral, and only the funeral, on the day – and for free.
Price: Free
When: 11am, Monday 19 September 2022; the Hyde Park screening site will open at 11am, and people will be admitted in order of arrival time
Where: Hyde Park, Recommended access from the north side of Hyde Park, from Marlborough Gate to Marble Arch. Vue cinemas, various across London
Website: parliament.uk; myvue.com
Alternative, less crowded ideas
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6. See the Superblooms
To commemorate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee back in June, a staggering 20 million wild flowers were planted in the Tower of London’s 13th-century moat. Fatefully, this initial installation was always due to end on Sunday 18 September, after which the landscape will remain permanently, though without visitor access. Head there before Monday for quiet, fragrant reflection surrounded by bees and butterflies – only the slide will be closed.
Price: Tickets must be booked: free from the Superbloom Public Viewing Path; £12 immersive walk through moat
When: Until the end of Sunday 18 September 2022
Where: Tower of London moat, London EC3N 4AB
Website: hrp.org.uk
7. Check out a fascinating royal photography exhibition
Life Through a Royal Lens includes both iconic and never-seen-before portraits of the royal family, harking right back to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, in its examination of the relationship between Sovereign and camera. Look out for shots of Queen Elizabeth II by Cecil Beaton, as well as intimate works by Rankin, Annie Leibovitz, Norman Parkinson and David Bailey.
Price: £20, book ahead
When: Until Sunday 30 October 2022; closed on Monday 19 September 2022
Where: Kensington Palace, Kensington Gardens, London W8 4PX
Website: hrp.org.uk
8. Have a horse riding lesson in Hyde Park
It’s commonly known that one of the Queen’s number one passions in life was horse racing. While Ascot may be a trip out of the capital, there are places you can go to get in the saddle in her honour, even including a Royal Park. One of the final mews with horses in central London, Hyde Park Stables offers lessons whatever your experience level, enabling riders to trot beside the Serpentine and along the park’s Rotten Row, ‘the most famous equestrian venue in England for 300 years’.
Price: From £115 per hour
When: Monday to Sunday
Where: 63 Bathurst Mews, London W2 2SB
Website: hydeparkstables.com
9. Have royal afternoon tea overlooking Buckingham Palace
The aptly named Palace Lounge at Rubens Hotel looks out over the Royal Mews of Buckingham Palace – and therefore seems a pretty perfect spot to partake in a royal afternoon tea. A new version of the hotel’s menu was launched on 1 September 2022 and includes strawberry jam and peanut butter sandwiches and raspberry ripple donuts as well as the more traditional cucumber sandwiches and fruit scones.
Price: From £60 per person
When: Daily, bookings can be made for Monday 19 September
Where: Rubens Hotel, 39 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 0PS
Website: rubenshotel.com