What happens next? Day by day after Queen’s death

Yesterday would traditionally have been ‘D-Day’ in the plans for the aftermath of the Queen’s death, which is code-named London Bridge, but with the announcement coming at 6.31pm it means that plans have been shifted a day to allow the complex arrangements to be put in place.

Today King Charles III will return to London where he will make a televised address.

Despite his grief, duty calls for the new sovereign and his first audience as monarch with Prime Minister Liz Truss is expected to happen as soon as practically possible.

He will also meet the Earl Marshal – the Duke of Norfolk – who is in charge of the accession and the Queen’s funeral, to approve the carefully choreographed schedule for the coming days.

The arrangements will incorporate Operation Unicorn, the contingency plans for the death of Queen Elizabeth II in Scotland.

Charles will decide on the length of court or royal mourning for members of the royal family and royal households. It is expected to last a month.

The Government will confirm the length of national mourning, which is likely to be around 12 to 13 days, up to the day after the Queen’s funeral.

They will also announce that the funeral day will be a public holiday in the form of a Day of National Mourning.

Tomorrow is expected to be the day when Charles is formally proclaimed as the new sovereign.

On Sunday the Queen’s coffin is expected to be taken by road to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.

On Monday a procession is expected along Royal Mile to St Giles’ Cathedral where a service will take place.

The public may get the chance to file past the Queen’s coffin at a mini lying in state in St Giles’.

After leaving England and visiting Scotland, King Charles III will at some stage travel to the other countries of the UK – including here in Northern Ireland and Wales.

The Queen’s coffin is expected to be flown to London on Tuesday, to Buckingham Palace.

For four days the The Queen is likely to lie in state in Westminster Hall following a ceremonial procession through London.

The Archbishop of Canterbury will conduct a short service following the coffin’s arrival.

Hundreds of thousands of people will be able file past the coffin on its catafalque and pay their respects, just as they did for the Queen Mother’s lying in state in 2002.

Senior royals are also expected to pay their own moving tribute, standing guard at some stage around the coffin – a tradition known as the Vigil of the Princes.

By next weekend heads of state begin to arrive for the funeral.

The Queen’s state funeral is expected take place on Monday at Westminster Abbey in central London.

The original plans are for the Queen’s coffin to process on a gun carriage to the abbey, pulled by sailors using ropes rather than horses.

Senior members of the family are expected to poignantly follow behind – just like they did for the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh.

The military will line the streets and also join the procession.

Heads of state, prime ministers and presidents, European royals and key figures from public life will be invited to gather in Westminster Abbey, which can hold a congregation of 2,000.

The service will be televised, and a national two minutes’ silence is expected to be held across the UK.

The same day as the funeral, the Queen’s coffin will be taken to St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle for a televised committal service.

Later in the evening, there will be a private interment service with senior members of the royal family.

The Queen’s final resting place will be the King George VI memorial chapel, an annex to the main chapel – where her mother and father were buried, along with the ashes of her sister, Princess Margaret.

Philip’s coffin will move from the Royal Vault to the memorial chapel to join the Queen’s.