For the record: A detailed overview of Margaret Thatcher’s funeral

The British government has released the following detailed overview of Margaret Thatcher’s funeral on Wednesday:

• The coffin will leave the Chapel of St. Mary Undercroft in the Palace of Westminster at 10 a.m. It will be dressed with the Union Flag. It will travel by hearse from the Palace of Westminster to the Church of St Clement Danes, the RAF Chapel, on the Strand.
• At the church, the coffin will be transferred to a Gun Carriage drawn by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery. The coffin will then be borne in Procession from St. Clement Danes to St Paul’s Cathedral. The route will be lined by tri-service military personnel.
• The coffin will arrive at St Paul’s Cathedral at 11 a.m. when the funeral will begin, it will last just under an hour. Following the service the coffin will travel by hearse to the Royal Hospital Chelsea.
• There will be two receptions following the Baroness Thatcher’s funeral service.
• Later the same day, following the reception there will be a private cremation at Mortlake Crematorium.
• Flags will be flown at half-staff from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m., including over Downing Street.

Detailed timeline:

• 9 a.m.: Doors open at St Paul’s Cathedral.
• 9:30 a.m.: Ceremonial Route is closed to all vehicles.
• 9:35 a.m.: Gun Carriage leaves Wellington Barracks.
• 9:45 a.m.: Street Liners will line the route.
• By  10 am.: Guests will be seated at St. Paul’s Cathedral.
• 10 a.m.: Coffin leaves, by hearse, the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft. The coffin is dressed with a Union Flag.
• By 10:15 a.m.: Coffin will have been placed in St. Clement Danes Church by civilian pall bearers.
• 10:15 a.m.: Lord Speaker, Mr Speaker and the Prime Minister are shown to their seats.
• 10:15 a.m.: Guard of Honour deploys to St Paul’s Church Yard.
• 10:20 a.m.: Gun Carriage will take up position at St Clement Danes.
• 10:20 a.m.: Procession Band and Escort Party take up position at St. Clement Danes.
• 10:25 a.m.: Tri-Service Bearer Party will carry the Coffin from St Clement Danes. Church and place it upon a Gun Carriage of The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery
• 10:25 a.m.: Step Lining Party takes up position on the West Steps
• 10: 33 a.m.: Gun Carriage and Bearer Party and Escort Party, led by a Band of the Royal Marines, step off.
• The Gun Carriage is drawn by six horses with a Sergeant riding alongside, an Officer riding in front and three dismounted troops on foot. It travels at 70 paces a minute.
• Processional Minute Guns are fired from Her Majesty’s Tower of London by the Honourable Artillery Company for the duration of the procession. The first round will be fired when the wheels of the gun carriage start turning.
• A Royal Marines Band will process. They will play Beethoven Funeral Marches No 1, No 2 and No 3, Mendelssohn Funeral March, Chopin Funeral March and Flowers of the Forest (arr Fisher).
• The Metropolitan Police Service will provide a mounted escort of nine black horses. Five horses will ride in front of the gun carriage, four in a line and one out in front. Four horses will ride behind the gun carriage.

Procession route:

• St Clement Danes Church
• the Strand
• Temple Bar
• Fleet Street
• Ludgate Circus
• Ludgate Hill
• St. Paul’s Cathedral

St Paul’s Cathedral:

• The procession will arrive at St Paul’s Cathedral and will be met by a Guard of Honour from the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards. The Bearer Party will carry the Coffin into the cathedral, and out again after the service. A Step Lining Party, comprising 18 Service personnel (six Royal Navy/Royal Marines, six members of the Blues and Royals, Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, and six Royal Air Force) plus a contingent from the Royal Hospital Chelsea, will line the West Steps of St Paul’s Cathedral for the arrival of the Coffin.
• 10:35 a.m.: Lord Mayor of the City of London arrives at St. Paul’s Cathedral.
• 10:40 a.m.: Members of Lady Thatcher’s family arrive.
• 10:45 a.m.: Choir procession.
• 10:45 a.m.: Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh arrive.
• 10:55 a.m.: Gun Carriage arrives.
• 11 a.m.: Coffin enters St. Paul’s Cathedral and the service begins.
• 11:55 a.m.: Service ends and the guests depart.

At the end of the funeral service:

• The Bearer Party will carry the coffin to a hearse positioned at the foot of the West Steps to St Paul’s Cathedral.
• Cathedral bells ring half-muffled as the hearse leaves from the bottom of the West Steps of the Cathedral for The Royal Hospital Chelsea.
• The Lord Mayor bids farewell to The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh.

After the funeral service. There will be two receptions:

• The Foreign Secretary will host a reception at the Mansion House for representatives from foreign states and other distinguished foreign VIPs.
• At Guildhall there will be a reception for friends and family of Lady Thatcher and representatives of UK institutions.
• The Thatcher family, the Prime Minister and other senior Ministers will attend both receptions.

• After 12:10 p.m.: guests begin to arrive at Guildhall under the direction of Military Marshals
• By 1:15 p.m.: the Prime Minister, senior Ministers, The Lord Mayor, members of Lady Thatcher’s immediate family arrive at Guildhall from the reception at Mansion House.
• At 2:30 p.m.: The National Anthem is played in each room by military musicians and the reception at Guildhall ends.
• From 2:30 p.m.: Events are private and the Government’s involvement ends.