State funerals: what are they and who conducts them in the UK?

Leaders from around the world are joining mourners today at the Queen’s state funeral, the first in the UK since 1965.

About 500 heads of state and foreign guests are expected to take part in it funeral of the deceased monarch in London, marking “one of the biggest gatherings of royals and politicians to be held in the UK in decades”, said BBC.

What was written in the newspapers?

The i news The site defined a state funeral as “a public funeral ceremony with strict rules of protocol held in honor of persons of national importance.” The rare events are usually, but not always, reserved for the sovereign and “include much pomp and ceremony, as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements of military tradition,” the site added.

State funerals usually begin with the coffin being carried on a carriage drawn by Royal Navy sailors, rather than horses, in a military procession from a private chapel to Westminster Hall in the Houses of Parliament.

The second procession usually goes to the church where the service will be held, either Westminster Abbey or St Paul’s Cathedral. QueenThe funeral takes place in the former place where she got married Prince Philipin 1947, and was crowned in 1953. The late monarch will then be buried next to Philip at St George’s Chapel in Windsor.

The state funeral also includes a 21-gun salute, flags flying at half-staff and a national day of mourning.

Who gets a state funeral?

A head of state is always entitled to a state funeral, but with the monarch’s approval and a vote in parliament, other “exceptionally distinguished” people can also be given the honor.

The last state funeral, in 1965, was for Winston Churchilland the last for a sovereign was for the Queen’s father, George VI, in 1952.

King George’s state funeral was preceded by the funerals of George V (1936), Edward VII (1910) and Queen Victoria (1901).

The only British monarch not to have a state funeral in the last 295 years was Edward VIII, who abdicated. Wales online.

Non-sovereigns who have received this honor include Isaac Newton (1727), Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson (1806) and the Duke of Wellington (1852).

How do they differ from ritual burials?

“To an outside observer, there is little difference between a state funeral and a ceremonial funeral,” Wales Online said. But while “both may involve lying and marching,” there are major differences.

Ceremonial burials of non-sovereigns do not require permission from Parliament, and the coffin is drawn by horses rather than sailors during the procession.

The Duke of Edinburgh 2021 saw a royal funeral, as did the Queen Mother (2002) and Diana, Princess of Wales (1997).

Such funerals are usually held for members The royal family who had high military ranks, were the wife of the sovereign, or were the heir to the throne.

Margaret Thatcher also received a state funeral with military honors in 2013.

Who organizes state funerals and who pays?

The organization of state funerals is the responsibility of the College of Arms, the body that regulates heraldry, and the Earl Marshal.

The position of earl marshal “is traditionally held by the highest-ranking duke in England, which is the Duke of Norfolk.” Guardian. The current Earl Marshal is the 18th Duke of Norfolk, Edward Fitzalan-Howard, who inherited the role and dukedom after his father’s death in 2002.

State funerals “are funded by the state and cost a lot,” he said London Evening Standard. The exact financial costs of Queen Elizabeth’s funeral “will not be disclosed,” the newspaper continued.

But the bill for the Queen Mother’s funeral is believed to have been “around £5.4m”. Royal historian Elizabeth Norton told about it A big problem that the Queen’s funeral will almost certainly cost “a little more” than that.

“It’s really hard to judge the Queen’s funeral,” Norton said. “No British monarch has died for more than 70 years, and the funeral of a monarch is always much larger than that of other members of the royal family.”

Although the exact cost of the funeral remains unknown, experts estimate that, combined with the financial implications of the bank holidays and the coronation of King Charles III next year, the total cost to the UK economy could reach £6 billion.