NHS doctors and nurses will be among those taking part in the Queen’s funeral procession as her coffin makes its journey to Windsor after the late monarch’s state funeral at Westminster Abbey.
The funeral on Monday, planned in line with the Queen Elizabeth II’s wishes, has been designed to “unite people across the globe and resonate with people of all faiths”, and will see members of the public feature alongside royals, politicians and world leaders.
Large swathes of London will be come to a standstill as senior royals walk behind the coffin, joined by members of the police, armed forces and the NHS.
Nearly 200 key workers and volunteers recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in June have been invited to attend the funeral.
The 183 everyday heroes will be part of a 2,000-strong congregation gathered at the historic church for the final farewell to the long-reigning monarch.
Buckingham Palace has not released a full guest list but several hundred dignitaries from around the world will travel to London to pay their last respects to the Queen in what is set to be one of the biggest logistical and diplomatic events in the UK in decades.
Some 800 people, including members of the Queen’s Household and Windsor estate staff, will attend the committal service afterwards at 4pm in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
The Queen’s Birthday Honours in June acknowledged 1,134 people in the UK who made outstanding contributions to their community and the country.
The list, which coincided with Platinum Jubilee celebrations, included authors, athletes, politicians, actors and medics who came to prominence during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Palace confirmed the Queen will be interred with the Duke of Edinburgh in the King George VI Memorial Chapel in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in a private service at 7.30pm on Monday.
But the burial service conducted by the Dean of Windsor and attended by the King and royals will remain entirely private, as a “deeply personal family occasion”.
The King, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex will mount a 15-minute vigil around the Queen’s coffin as it lies in state at 7.30pm on Friday.
After the funeral, the King and members of the royal family will walk behind the Queen’s coffin to Wellington Arch when it leaves Westminster Abbey, before it is driven to Windsor on the state hearse.
It will move from central London to Windsor, on a route that has not been disclosed by the Palace, but the hearse will travel down the famous Long Walk to the castle.
In the quadrangle, it will be joined by the King and members of the royal family who will follow behind on foot as the Queen’s coffin approaches the gothic chapel.
The Earl Marshal, the Duke of Norfolk, the man in charge of the historic occasion, described the task as “both humbling and daunting. An honour and a great responsibility”.
It comes as the Prince and Princess of Wales visited the sea of flowers left for the Queen at the gates of Sandringham House in Norfolk on Thursday.
William told one mourner that walking behind the Queen’s coffin to the lying in state on Wednesday was difficult, and reminded him of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales’s funeral.
The involvement of NHS worker comes as hospital appointments have been cancelled because of the funeral.
Many health units have shut and appointments have been cancelled due to Monday’s bank holiday which was announced to mark the national event.