Today, the nation will come together to pay their respects to Her Majesty The Queen as she is laid to rest in a state funeral at Westminster Abbey.
The monarch passed away at Balmoral Castle on Thursday September 8th, bringing to an end her historic seventy-year reign on the throne.
On Monday (September 12th), her coffin was moved to St Giles’ Cathedral where it laid in rest until the following day, when it was transported back to Buckingham Palace.
In a moving procession on Wednesday (September 14th), Her Majesty was then moved to Westminster Hall, where she has laid in state ever since.
Here’s a timeline of what will happen for the Queen’s state funeral today:
10:44am – Her Majesty’s coffin transported from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey.
The route to Westminster Abbey will be lined by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, and will go from Parliament Square to Broad Sanctuary and the Sanctuary.
In the profession behind the coffin will be King Charles, alongside other members of the royal family and royal household.
10:52am – The procession arrives at Westminster Abbey.
Here, a bearer party will carry Her Majesty’s coffin inside ready for the service to begin.
11am – The state funeral begins.
The State Funeral service will be led by the Dean of Westminster. Prime minister Liz Truss and the secretary-general of the Commonwealth are both expected to give readings at the service.
Prayers will also be read by Archbishop of York, the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and the Free Churches Moderator.
Then Last Post will sound followed by a two minutes’ silence, followed by the National Anthem to finish around 12 o’clock.
12:15pm – The Queen’s coffin transported to Wellington Arch.
The Queen’s coffin will transported on the State Gun Carriage, with it expected to arrive at 1pm.
There will be a second procession following the Queen, made up again by King Charles and the senior members of the royal family, alongside detachments of soldiers from Commonwealth nations.
At Wellington Arch, minute guns will be fired by the King’s Troop and Royal Horse Artillery, while Big Ben will chime throughout the procession.
3:06pm – The Queen’s coffin arrives at Windsor.
The hearse will slow down in order to join a third procession leading from Albert Road to travel via the Long Walk to Windsor Castle.
3:40pm – Members of the Royal Family join the procession at Windsor Castle.
Minute guns will then be fired on the East Lawn, while the Sebastopol Bell and Curfew Tower Bell will be sounded.
4pm – The Committal Service begins.
The service will be conducted by the Dean of Windsor, while the Rector of Sandringham, the Minister of Crathie Kirk and the Chaplain of Windsor Great Park will read prayer. The Choir of St George’s Chapel will sing during the Service.
As the coffin is lowered into the Royal Vault, the Dean of Windsor will say a psalm and the commendation before the Garter King of Arms pronounces Her Majesty’s styles and titles.
7:30pm – Private burial service takes place.
A private burial service will be conducted by the Dean of Windsor, attended by the King and other members of the Royal Family. Her Majesty is to be buried together with her late husband, The Duke of Edinburgh, at the King George VI Memorial Chapel.
The Queen’s funeral will air live on BBC One and BBC News. ITV has also confirmed its broadcast schedule, with coverage of the event set to begin at 6am.
Sky News will also air live coverage throughout the day. The channel will broadcast the funeral procession, followed by coverage of the State Funeral Service.
After years of will-they-won’t-they speculation, Oasis are officially BACK together for a reunion tour. The Gallagher brothers have put aside their differences in the name of music, making thousands of fans extremely happy in the process.
The band teased the news on their socials over the weekend, posting a video on Sunday morning with today’s date (Tuesday, August 27th) and the time 8am.
The legendary Mancunian rockers will take to the stage next summer, with gigs in Cardiff, London, Edinburgh, Dublin and, of course, Manchester.
15 years after splitting, the band confirmed they would be back for 14 shows, saying: “The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised”.
The gigs will be Oasis’s ‘only shows in Europe next year’, with tickets on sale this Saturday at 8am in Ireland and 9am in the UK.
Stagecoach Manchester is hiring over 100 new bus drivers to work from its Oldham depot, following the second phase of the Bee Network launch in March.
You can apply for a range of roles, from positions with no experience required to fully qualified bus drivers.
Successful applicants will receive full training as part of the job, and trainees will get paid to train. Then after only 12 months’ service at Stagecoach, drivers can expect to earn up to £16 per hour, which equates to £31.6K per year, before overtime.
As well as that, drivers that already hold a PCV licence may be eligible to receive a £1,200 joining bonus.
Stagecoach
There’s also a host of other benefits available to all Stagecoach employees, like 28 days paid holiday, generous pension and free Stagecoach bus travel for successful applicants and a companion.
Rob Jones, Managing Director at Stagecoach Manchester said: “Expanding our offering in Oldham means we’ll be investing more in the economy and supporting our local community, as well as strengthening our workforce.
“Whether you’re looking for a career change or you’re a fully qualified, experienced bus driver, there’s a role for everyone here in Oldham. “We’re looking for personable and dedicated drivers who are ready to help us build on the success of the Bee Network and connect the people of Oldham and Greater Manchester with the places and people that are important to them.”
Stagecoach
Phil Cornwall, bus driver at Stagecoach Manchester, said: “I’ve been a driver at Stagecoach for 25 years and I couldn’t recommend it more.
“From the perks to the people to the passengers, it really is a great place to work.”
Two men have now been charged with murder, following the discovery of a human torso in Kersal Dale.
As well as that, more suspected human remains were also discovered this morning, Monday April 29th, in an alleyway close to the railway lines off Worsley Road, Eccles.
This follows earlier discoveries of human remains over the past three weeks, at Kersal Dale, Blackleach Reservoir and Colliery Wood, all in Salford.
Greater Manchester Police
Michal Jaroslaw Polchowski (25/04/1956) and Marcin Majerkiewicz (10/04/1982) both of Worsley Road, Eccles, have been charged with murder.
They are set to appear at Tameside Magistrates Court this afternoon.
While formal identification is still ongoing, the remains found at Kersal Dale are believed to be of a local man in his 60s. The remains found at the other three locations are still to be tested, but police are confident they belong to the same victim.
ACC Sarah Jackson said: “We have had large numbers of officers, staff and specialists working diligently on this investigation over the last three weeks. It has been very much a large, collective effort, with the victim and family at the heart of it from the outset.
“We have specially trained officers deployed to support the family as they come to terms with this tragic news. They are aware of this morning’s further discovery and will continue to be kept up to date with how we are progressing.
“Despite the charges brought today, our work is far from over.
“The scenes we already have established in Bury and Salford will remain in place for much of this week whilst our searches and enquiries continue. Local officers will continue to patrol the impacted areas to provide reassurance.
“We will continue following every line of enquiry to recover and reunite the victim with his family, bringing a dignified end to this terrible scenario.
“I’d like to thank the communities of Salford and beyond for their cooperation throughout this investigation. I know this incident has come as a shock, and the support we’ve had from those in the area is very much appreciated.”