State funerals: what are they and who gets them in the UK?

Leaders from across the world are joining mourners at the Queen’s state funeral today, the first in the UK since 1965.

Around 500 heads of state and foreign dignitaries were expected to attend the late monarch’s funeral in London, marking “one of the biggest gatherings of royalty and politicians hosted in the UK for decades”, said the BBC.

What did the papers say?

The i news site defined a state funeral as “a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honour people of national significance”. The rare events are usually but not always reserved for the sovereign, and “include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements of military tradition”, the site added.

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State funerals usually begin with the coffin being carried on a gun carriage drawn by Royal Navy sailors, rather than horses, as part of a military procession from a private resting chapel to Westminster Hall in the House of Parliament.

A second procession then usually takes place to the church where the service will be held, either Westminster Abbey or St Paul’s Cathedral. The Queen’s funeral is taking place at the former, where she married Prince Philip, in 1947, and was crowned, in 1953. The late monarch will then be laid to rest alongside Philip at St George’s Chapel at Windsor.

A state funeral also includes a 21-gun salute, flags at half-mast and a national day of mourning.

Who gets a state funeral?

The head of state is always entitled to a state funeral, but with the approval of the monarch and a vote in Parliament, other “exceptionally distinguished” people may also be granted the honour.

The most recent state funeral, in 1965, was for Winston Churchill, and the last one for a sovereign was for the Queen’s father, George VI, in 1952.

King George’s state funeral was preceded by those of George V (1936), Edward VII (1910) and Queen Victoria (1901).

The only British monarch “not to be given a state funeral in the last 295 years was Edward VIII, who abdicated”, said Wales Online.

Non-sovereigns who have been granted the honour include Isaac Newton (1727), Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson (1806) and the Duke of Wellington (1852).

How do they differ from ceremonial funerals?

“To the outsider, there is little difference between a state funeral and a ceremonial one,” said Wales Online. But while “both can include lying in state and a military procession”, there are key differences.

Ceremonial funerals for non-sovereigns do not require the permission of Parliament, and the coffin is drawn by horses rather than sailors during the procession.

The Duke of Edinburgh was given a ceremonial royal funeral, in 2021, as was the Queen Mother (2002) and Diana, Princess of Wales (1997).

Such funerals are generally held for members of the Royal Family who held high military rank, were the consort of the sovereign or were the heir to the throne.

Margaret Thatcher also received a ceremonial funeral with military honours, in 2013.

Who organises state funerals and who pays?

Organising state funerals is the responsibility of the College of Arms, the body that regulates heraldry, and the Earl Marshal.

The position of Earl Marshal “is traditionally held by the highest-ranking duke in England, which is the Duke of Norfolk”, said The Guardian. The current Earl Marshal is the 18th Duke of Norfolk, Edward Fitzalan-Howard, who inherited the role and his dukedom when his father died in 2002.

State funerals are “publicly funded and they cost a lot”, said the London Evening Standard. The exact financial cost of Queen Elizabeth’s funeral proceedings “will not be reported”, the paper continued.

But the bill for the Queen Mother’s funeral was believed to be “around £5.4m”. Royal historian Elizabeth Norton told The Big Issue that the Queen’s funeral would almost certainly cost “a fair bit more” than that.

“It is really difficult to give an estimate for the Queen’s funeral,” said Norton. “No British monarch has died for 70 years and the monarch’s funeral always tends to be on a considerably larger scale than funerals for other members of the Royal Family.”

Although the exact cost of the funeral will remain unknown, experts have estimated that, combined with the financial impact of bank holidays and the coronation of King Charles III next year, the total cost to the UK economy may reach £6bn.