(LONDON) — Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, has died at the age of 96, Buckingham Palace announced Thursday.
With the queen’s death come questions about what happens next, as the world has not witnessed a changeover in Britain’s monarchy in 70 years.
The U.K. government and the royal family have been planning for years to ensure a smooth transition after the queen’s death, and to appropriately honor her history-making reign.
Here’s what’s likely to take place in the coming days.
When and where will Elizabeth’s funeral take place?
The queen’s funeral will take place 10 days after her death, following the traditional observance of a national period of mourning.
Elizabeth’s funeral is expected to be held at Westminster Abbey, which would make her the first sovereign to have a funeral there since 1760.
The queen’s funeral is expected to be attended by dignitaries and heads of states from around the world.
Westminster Abbey normally holds 2,200 congregants, but extra seating can be arranged to accommodate more than 8,000 people, as it did at the queen’s coronation.
Where will the queen be buried?
The queen is expected to be laid to rest in a private burial at St. George’s Chapel, on the grounds of Windsor Castle, where she spent many of her final years.
The queen will be buried next to her father King George VI, her sister Princess Margaret, and Prince Philip, the queen’s beloved late-husband of 73 years.
Will there be a procession or memorial for the public to attend?
The queen’s coffin is set to lie in state in Westminster Hall in the Palace of Westminster to allow the public to pay their last respects.
Crowds of people have continued to grow outside the gates of Buckingham Palace since the queen’s death was confirmed.
When will Prince Charles’ coronation take place?
Charles, the eldest child of Elizabeth and Philip, became King Charles III upon his mother’s death.
The Accession Council, led by government figures, is expected to meet at St. James’s Palace in London the day after the queen’s death to formally proclaim Charles the new sovereign.
Charles’ coronation is likely to take place several months from now.
The queen’s coronation, for example, took place on June 2, 1953, 14 months after she ascended to the throne upon her father’s death.
Will Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, be crowned alongside Charles?
Yes, Camilla and Charles are expected to be crowned side-by-side.
In February, the queen requested that Camilla be known as Queen Consort when Charles became king.
Queen Consort is the title given to the spouse of a king, and under U.K. law, whoever is married to a king would immediately become that and be known as queen.
When Charles and Camilla married in 2005 there was some debate as to what title Camilla, a divorcee, would take when Charles became king. At the time of their wedding, a spokesperson for the couple suggested she would take the title Princess Consort.
The queen’s request, laid out in a letter marking her 70 years on the throne, was the first time the 96-year-old queen had publicly addressed her daughter-in-law’s role in the future monarchy.
Will Prince William and Kate receive new titles?
Now that Charles is king, his oldest son Prince William becomes heir to the throne and becomes the Duke of Cornwall.
With the new title, William inherits the Duchy of Cornwall, the private estate that was established in 1337 to provide financial independence for the heir to the throne and his family. Kate, formerly the Duchess of Cambridge, inherits the new title of the Duchess of Cornwall.
Charles still has to appoint his son as the Prince of Wales, which is expected to happen sometime in the coming days.
William, Kate and their three children — Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte — moved this summer from Kensington Palace to Adelaide Cottage, a four-bedroom cottage on the grounds of Windsor Castle.
With the death of the queen and the ascension of their grandfather Charles to king, George, Louis and Charlotte have each moved up in the line of succession.
Is Prince Harry still in the line of succession?
Charles’s youngest son Prince Harry is still in the line of succession as he is still a member of the royal family.
He is now fifth in the line of succession, and his two children Archie and Lilibet are now sixth and seventh, respectively.
Harry and his wife Meghan are expected to keep their titles as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The couple stepped down from their roles as senior working royals in 2020.
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