Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral is
set to take place on Monday 19 September, with a National Day of Mourning and a
bank holiday scheduled.
Many businesses are set to be
closed, from cinemas to supermarkets.
Will
supermarkets be open on the day of the Queen’s funeral?
Marks & Spencer, Morrisons
and Asda are among the latest retailers to confirm they will shut stores next
Monday.
M&S said it will also halt
deliveries to customers on Monday, September 19, which will be a bank holiday as
the Queen’s state funeral takes place.
Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Aldi
all confirmed they will be closing their supermarket stores for the day of the
funeral, with fashion retailers such as John Lewis and Primark also confirming
closure plans.
Retailers are not required to
shut their doors on the day of the funeral, and others may choose to open for
reduced hours, as many regularly do on other bank holidays.
The Government guidance is:
“Some businesses may wish to consider closing or postponing events,
especially on the day of the state funeral, however, this is at the discretion
of individual businesses.”
Hospital
closures for Queen’s funeral
The NHS has also warned that
some appointments may be canceled, instructing patients to wait to hear if
their scheduled appointment is to go ahead.
Are schools open on the day of
the Queen’s funeral?
Schools will close on the day
of the funeral, giving students the chance to watch the televised service and
pay their respects.
Are
tourist attractions open on the day of the Queen’s funeral?
Heritage sites owned by
English Heritage across the UK, including Stone Henge and HMS Belfast, will be
shut for visitors too, as a mark of respect.
In a statement, English
Heritage said: “As a mark of respect, English Heritage is closing all
sites on Monday, September 19 2022 for Her Majesty the Queen’s state
funeral.”
National Trust houses,
gardens, cafes, and shops will also be closed on the day of the funeral, though
the organization said coast and countryside car parks and pre-booked holiday
cottages and campsites will remain open for visitors.
The charity also said:
“National Trust places will remain open during the mourning period to
provide a place of reflection for members and visitors.”
Major galleries including the
National Gallery in London, National Galleries of Scotland and the Tate
galleries will also be closed, as will museums including the Natural History
Museum, Science Museum and the V&A in South Kensington, London.
Are
pubs and restaurants open on the day of the Queen’s funeral?
When it comes to pubs and
restaurants, staying open is a personal choice, though it is expected they will
keep their doors open for the public to raise a glass to the much-loved
monarch.
The UK’s biggest pub group,
Stonegate, which runs around 4,500 pubs and barshas said it plans to keep
venues open next Monday and show footage of the monarch’s funeral.
McDonald’s has said it
will shut its UK restaurants as a mark of respect during the day of the Her
Majesty’s funeral on Monday, reopening at 5pm that evening.
Are
cinemas open on the day of the Queen’s funeral?
Many of the UK’s cinemas will
close on the day of the Queen’s state funeral – while others will remain open
to screen the event for free, they have said.
Major chains including
Cineworld, Odeon and Showcase will shut their sites on 19 September as a mark
of respect.
Other cinema chains including
Curzon and Arc have chosen to screen the funeral for free while canceling the
rest of their programming that day.
Flights were delayed during Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral
Heathrow airport has
confirmed flights are likely to be delayed on the day of Her Majesty’s
funeral.
“We anticipate changes to the
Heathrow operation on Monday September 19, when Her Majesty’s funeral is due to
take place, and will communicate those in more detail over coming days,”
the airport said.
This follows the delay of
flights on 14 September, during the coffin procession, when flights were paused
to ensure silence as the coffin procession took place.
