The world will say one last “goodbye and thank you, Madam” to the British Queen Elizabeth II at his state funeral on Monday September 19 at Westminster Abbey in London.
While the service of Her Majesty, who died on September 8, will bring together 2,000 families, friends, dignitaries and heads of state, the event is expected to draw a record 4.1 billion viewers from around the world.
In the United States, all major networks, outlets and streaming services will provide coverage. And in Austin, viewers will have to rise before sunrise to tune in live. The funeral begins at 5 a.m. local time, with many notable events taking place before and after (see schedule below).
Here’s a complete guide to network, cable, and streaming service coverage, according to the Los Angeles Time and Hollywood journalist. (All times are local to Austin.)
Networks (TV and streaming):
- PSB: PBS will broadcast the BBC’s coverage live from London, starting at 3am. A prime-time special, The State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II: The Day’s Eventswill then air at 7 p.m.
- ABC: David Muir and Robin Roberts will host coverage beginning at 4:30 a.m.
- CNB: Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Lester Holt will anchor coverage starting at 4:30 a.m.
- SCS: Gayle King and Norah O’Donnell will anchor the cover (time TBD).
Cable networks (television and streaming):
- BBC America: London coverage will begin at 3am.
- NC: Anderson Cooper and Erin Burnett will anchor coverage beginning at 4 a.m., with additional anchors and reporters joining throughout the morning.
- MSNB: Chris Jansing will host the coverage, starting at 2 a.m., followed by a special edition of morning joe from London and continues by services.
- C-SPAN: Live coverage will begin at 4:30 a.m.
- Bloomberg Television: Live coverage will run from 4 a.m. to 6:30 a.m.
- Fox News channel: Martha MacCallum, Ainsley Earhardt and Piers Morgan will anchor coverage starting at 2 a.m.
Other streaming options:
- Brit Box will show live BBC coverage from 3.30am.
- BBC is broadcast live from London, 24 hours a day, on their news app and at www.bbc.com/news. (Click on the Queen Elizabeth II tab.)
- ITV News offers live streaming at www.itv.com/news and via YouTube.
- Sky News offers live streaming at news.sky.com, as well as via Peacock and YouTube.
- Subscription streaming platforms (with free trials available) will stream the funeral, including: FuboTV, Sling, YouTube TV, Peacock Premium, Hulu + Live TV and Paramount+. The service will be available to stream on regular Hulu as soon as it ends.
Event calendar
The funeral service itself will begin at 11 a.m. in London (BST), or 5 a.m. in Austin (CDT). The service is expected to last about an hour, but it is preceded and followed by other events that will also be broadcast. Here’s a schedule of the day’s events, according to this handy guide from the BBC. All times below are CDT.
12:30 p.m.: The Queen’s Ceremony at Westminster Hall will come to an end. Hundreds of thousands of people (including football legend David Beckham) “queued” and lined up until 2 p.m. to walk past his coffin and pay their respects. The BBC is broadcasting the lie in state live here.
2 a.m.: The doors of Westminster Abbey will open as guests begin to arrive for the state funeral. Heads of state – including US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden – will attend, as well as royals from across Europe (many of whom were blood relatives of the Queen). Find the guest list here.
4h44: About 15 minutes before the funeral, the Queen’s coffin will be transported, via cannon carriage, from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey. Senior members of the royal family (including King Charles and Princes William and Harry) will follow the coffin in the procession.
5am: The funeral at Westminster Abbey begins. It will be chaired by the Dean of Westminster David Hoyle and the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.
5:55 a.m.: Towards the end of the funeral, a bugle call called “Last Post” will be played and a two-minute silence will be observed nationwide across the UK. Then the “new” national anthem “God Save the King” will be sung and a lament will be played by the Queen’s Pied Piper.
6:15 a.m.: A foot procession – including military bands and members of the armed forces – will drag the coffin from the Abbey to Wellington Arch.
7am: The coffin will be transferred to a state hearse for its final journey to Windsor.
9am: The State Hearse will arrive in Windsor for a walking procession on the Long Walk of Windsor Castle. Members of the armed forces will line the three-mile route and members of the Royal Family will meet the motorcade outside the castle.
10 a.m.: The coffin will enter St. George’s Chapel for a burial service attended by a congregation of 800 people. At the end of the 45-minute service, the Queen’s coffin will be lowered into the Royal Vault and the Royal Family will leave the chapel. The service will include many traditions symbolizing the end of the Queen’s reign, including the removal of the Imperial State Crown and the Sovereign’s Orb and Scepter from the top of the coffin. (Read more about what to expect here.)
1:30 p.m.: The Queen will be buried with her late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, in the King George VI Memorial Chapel inside St George’s Chapel. The private ceremony is for the family only and it is unclear if any part of it will be made public.
