Officially there are now ten days of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II. HR professionals may consider whether their organisations are affected by these activities and may want to enable employees to participate in some way.
The timetable below gives and indication of some of the likely opportunities for members of the public to show their respect for the late Queen – for example by observing a period of silence or attending the Lying in State.
Guideance from the Government on how to commemorate Her Majesty can be found here.
Day 1 – Thursday 8th
The death of Her Majesty is announced. Flags have been lowered to half mast. Parliament and the devolved legislatures have adjorned.
The royal family will announce plans for the queen’s funeral, which is expected to be held 10 days following her death.
King Charles will address the nation in a televised broadcast. A minute of silence will be held across the country.
Day 2 – Friday 9th
Members of the Accession Council will name Charles the new king and a proclamation will be read out at St James’ Palace and the Royal Exchange.
Her Majesty will be conveyed from Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire to Edinburgh on a special train, where the Queen would initially rest in state at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Her coffin would then be carried to St Giles’ Cathedral on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, where people would be able to pay their respects.
Church bells will be rung from 12.00 for an hour.
Day 3 – 4 – Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th
The King will embark of a tour of the United Kingdom, visiting the Scottish Parliament and St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, then Northern Ireland’s Hillsborough Castle and a service at St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast.
Day 5 – Monday 12th
A procession from Buckingham Palace to the Houses of Parliament will culminate in a service will be held at Westminster Hall. The Queen will lie there in state for three days, as members of the public will be able to visit.
Days 6 – 9 – Tuesday 13th to Friday 16th
The King will visit the Welsh Parliament and attended service at Liandaff Cathedral. The Government at this point will be finalising the plans for for the day of her funeral.
Day 10 – Saturday 17th
This will be a Day of National Mourning, with a two minute silence held. The funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey, followed by a committal service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, where Queen Elizabeth II will be buried in the King George IV Memorial Chapel.
Paul Gray is an entrepreneur and digital publisher who creates online publications focused on solving problems, delivering news, and providing platforms for informed comment and debate. He is associated with HRZone and has built businesses in the HR and professional publishing sector. His work emphasizes creating industry-specific content platforms.
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