An atmosphere of gloom, confusion, and mourning has amassed in the UK following the demise of Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away At Balmoral Castle on Thursday. Prince Charles has taken on the reign as the king, with his new title King Charles III, who said the passing of her mother, the Queen, is a moment of the "greatest sadness." Now, the King has expressed his wish that a period of Royal Mourning be observed from now until seven days after The Queen's Funeral.
The date of the funeral hasn't been announced yet. But other details regarding the royal mourning and condolence arrangements have been shared by The Royal Family.
96-round Royal Gun Salute
The Royal Gun Salutes will be held in London at 1 p.m. BST at the iconic Hyde Park by the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery and at the Tower of London by the Honourable Artillery Company. One round will be fired for each year of The Queen's life, as a total of 96 rounds will be fired.
Flags at half-mast
Soon after the announcement of Queen's death, all flags at the Royal Residences were half masted on Thursday. The flags will remain so until 8 a.m. after the final day of Royal Mourning. There will be exception to the half-masting of flags at Royal Residences, which does not apply to the Royal Standard and the Royal Standard in Scotland when The King is in residence, as they are always flown at full mast.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has released further guidance on flags at other public buildings.
Floral Tributes
The members of the public can pay their floral tributes at six royal locations in the UK.
- Buckingham Palace: Floral tributes can be laid at dedicated sites in The Green Park or Hyde Park. Flowers left outside the gates of Buckingham Palace will be moved to The Green Park Floral Tribute Garden by The Royal Parks.
- Windsor Castle: Floral tributes can be left at Cambridge Gate on the Long Walk. These flowers will be brought inside the Castle every evening, and placed on the Castle Chapter grass on the south side of St George's Chapel and Cambridge Drive.
- Sandringham Estate: Members of the public can leave floral tributes at the Norwich Gates.
- Balmoral Castle: This is where the Queen breathed her last. The floral tributes can be left at the Main Gate.
- Palace of Holyroodhouse: Floral tributes can be given to the Wardens at the entrance to The Queen's Gallery. Those flowers will be laid on the Forecourt grass in front of the North Turret of the Palace.
- Hillsborough Castle: Floral tributes may be laid on the Castle Forecourt, in front of the main gates.
Royal Residences closed
As a part of the Royal Mourning, All Royal Residences will close until after The Queen's Funeral. This includes The Queen's Gallery and the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace, and The Queen's Gallery in Edinburgh. Balmoral Castle and Sandringham House, The Queen's private estates, will also close for this period. In addition, Hillsborough Castle, The Sovereign's official residence in Northern Ireland, will be closed.
