Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip travel to Buckingham palace after the wedding. Photo by Nir Elias/Reuters

How to watch Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral

Queen Elizabeth II died Sept. 8 after 70 years on the throne. The queen, whose reign spanned 15 prime ministers, nine popes and more than a dozen U.S. presidents, is Britain’s longest-serving monarch.

Watch the funeral in the player below on Monday Sept. 19 at 6 a.m. EDT.

The Royal Family announced the 96-year-old’s death, saying that Elizabeth “died peacefully” at Balmoral Castle, her residence in Scotland. All four of Elizabeth’s children traveled there to be by her side after she was placed under medical supervision for declining health.

Britain’s new monarch will be the late queen’s eldest son, Prince Charles. He will now be known as King Charles III, royal officials said. Charles’ wife, Camilla, will be known as Queen Consort.

The PBS NewsHour aired a special report on Queen Elizabeth II’s life, legacy, and her influence within the royal family, across the United Kingdom, and around the world. Watch it in the embedded player below.


Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving British monarch in history, died at the age of 96. The PBS NewsHour takes a look back at the queen’s life and her historic role.

Here’s what we know about the days and weeks to come.

When is Queen Elizabeth’s funeral?

Buckingham Palace has long planned out a series of procedures to carry out in the days and months after the event of Elizabeth’s death. As The Guardian reported in 2017, the queen’s funeral is expected to take place 10 days after her death, allowing for a period of national mourning.

The state funeral for Elizabeth will take place on Monday, Sept. 19 at Westminster Abbey in London, the Associated Press reports.

WATCH LIVE: Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral

Who’s next in line to take the throne?

Elizabeth’s eldest son, Charles, formerly the Prince of Wales, has immediately become the King of England and is now King Charles III. His wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, is now the Queen Consort, as Elizabeth requested at her royal jubilee in February.

Next in line after King Charles III is Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge. He is the elder son of Charles and his first wife, Diana, Princess of Wales, who famously died in 1997 in a car crash.

READ MORE: A timeline of Queen Elizabeth’s life

Following William is his eldest child, Prince George of Cambridge, who is 9 years old. George’s mother is William’s wife, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, more commonly known as Kate Middleton. Next in line after George are his younger siblings Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis of Cambridge, 4.

The modern determination for succession of the United Kingdom’s throne comes from the Succession to the Crown Act of 2013. It ended the system by which the son of a monarch takes precedence over a daughter in the line of succession; now, the eldest child (or person next in line to the throne) will become monarch, regardless of the gender of any siblings. The new rule applies to children born after Oct. 28, 2011.

READ MORE: King Charles III will succeed Queen Elizabeth II. Who is next in line to take the throne?

When is Charles’ coronation, or official crowning?

No official date has been set for Charles’ coronation, the ceremonial transfer of the crown. The coronation is not expected to take place for a few months or longer while preparations are made.

At 73, Charles is the oldest person to accede to the British throne.

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