The Death of Queen Elizabeth II – What happened on Wednesday, September 14, 2022

Westminster Hall; Credit – Wikipedia

Operation London Bridge was the codename for the detailed set of plans following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The plans had long been planned in consultation with the Government. The following is what happened on Wednesday, September 14, 2022.

Unofficial Royalty: Lying in State in Westminster Hall
Unofficial Royalty: Westminster Hall

  • Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin was moved from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, where the Queen lay in state for four days. Built in 1097 during the reign of King William II Rufus, Westminster Hall is the oldest existing part of the Palace of Westminster. The roof was probably originally supported by pillars but was replaced by a beautiful wood hammerbeam roof during the reign of King Richard II in 1390s.

The Imperial State Crown; Credit – Wikipedia

  • The Queen’s coffin left Buckingham Palace at 2:22 PM British Time, 9:22 AM US Eastern Time. King Charles III, his sons The Prince of Wales and The Duke of Sussex, and his siblings The Princess Royal, The Duke of York, and the Earl of Wessex walked behind the coffin. Also walking behind the coffin will be Princess Anne’s husband Sir Timothy Laurence, Princess Anne’s son Peter Phillips, the Queen’s nephew David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon, and the Queen’s first cousin Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester. The Queen Consort, The Princess of Wales, The Duchess of Sussex, and the Countess of Wessex traveled by car.
  • The coffin was carried on a gun carriage of The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, and the Imperial State Crown sat atop the coffin. Guns were fired at Hyde Park and Big Ben tolled.
  • Crowds were able to view the procession along Queen’s Gardens, The Mall, Horse Guards and Horse Guards Arch, Whitehall, Parliament Street, Parliament Square, and New Palace Yard.
  • The coffin reached Westminster Hall at 3:00 PM British Time, 10:00 AM US Eastern Time. It was placed on a raised platform. Each corner of the platform was guarded 24 hours a day by soldiers from units that serve the Royal Household.
  • Members of the public were able to pay their respects to the Queen’s coffin, 24 hours a day until 6:30 AM British Time on Monday, September 19, 2022, the day of the funeral.