When did Queen Elizabeth II die and when was her funeral?

A year after her passing, members of the public are asking when the Queen died and looking back on the events of that historic day. 

Queen Elizabeth II reigned for 70 years before her death last September, making her the longest-reigning British monarch. Having ascended to the throne at just 25 years old, she was 96 at the time of her death and her long reign left many wondering what happens after the Queen dies and where she would be buried, while others took the opportunity to look back on her life.

Now, ahead of the first anniversary of her death, members of the public are asking for a reminder of when the Queen died and the events leading up to and following the end of the second Elizabethan era. We've taken a look back at the historic moments...

When did the Queen die?

The Queen died on 8 September 2022. The announcement of her death was made by the BBC's Huw Edwards, who had been presenting the rolling coverage for around five hours before the news broke. The BBC News special had taken over normal programming, following a statement from Buckingham Palace earlier in the day.

The Queen spent her final days at Balmoral Castle - which was said to be her favourite royal residence - where she made history by appointing her fifteenth Prime Minister, Liz Truss, just days before her passing. 

The castle is located in Ballater, Aberdeenshire in Scotland, and members of the royal family who made the journey to visit the late Queen in her final moments include King Charles and Queen Camilla, Prince William, Princess Anne,  Prince Andrew, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and Prince Harry.

What time did the Queen die?

The Queen's death was announced at 6.30pm, but when her death certificate was made public weeks later, it was revealed that the Queen had died at 3.10pm.

On the day of her passing, Buckingham Palace released a statement at 12.32pm saying: "The queen’s doctors are concerned for Her Majesty’s health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision. The queen remains comfortable and at Balmoral."

Then, at 12.50pm, Buckingham Palace announced that Prince William, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and his wife Sophie were on their way to Scotland, to be with the Queen. At around 2pm it was revealed in a separate statement that Prince Harry would also be heading to Scotland.

By the time Harry landed at Aberdeen airport at 6.45pm, the news of the Queen's death had been made public - though the new king's spokesperson said at the time: "The public was only informed after every family member had been informed."

How did the Queen die?

The official cause of death was given as "old age" by Dr Douglas Glass, the Queen's official apothecary in Scotland.

He has since said there was concern for the queen’s health for several months and was quoted in Gyles Brandreth’s biography, Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait, saying, "It was expected and we were quite aware of what was going to happen."

Gyles Brandreth himself, who is a Royal Biographer and close friend to the Royal Family also claimed in the book that Her Majesty had bone marrow cancer before her death.

He said: "I had heard that the Queen had a form of myeloma - bone marrow cancer - which would explain her tiredness and weight loss and those 'mobility issues' we were often told about during the last year or so of her life."

In the months leading up to her death, the late Queen had been pictured using a walking stick and was also forced to pull out of the State Opening of Parliament that year - the only time she missed it during her 70-year reign.

The day before her death, it was announced the Queen would miss a privy council meeting after being advised by doctors to rest. The next day, the Queen's helicopter left Windsor Castle shortly before 7am to take the then Prince of Wales from Dumfries House in Ayrshire to his mother's bedside.

What happened after the Queen died?

After the Queen died, her first son Charles immediately became King, as he was next in line to the throne in the royal line of succession. As the queen died in Scotland, this meant Operation Unicorn was actioned. Her body was taken to Edinburgh first and then to London for the state funeral.

Upon the arrival of the Queen's coffin in London, it was transported to Buckingham Palace before being moved to Westminster Hall the following day for her lying-in-state.

The lying-in-state took place from 14 September until 19 September and an estimated 250,000 members of the public filed past the coffin to pay their respects to the late Queen.

When was the Queen's funeral?

The state funeral then took place on Monday 19 September 2022, with a one-off public holiday granted for the occasion. Many shops and businesses opted to close for the occasion.

Following the service in Westminster Abbey, the Queen was interred beneath the King George VI Memorial Chapel at Windsor Castle, in a private service attended only by her closest family. 

The chapel is also the resting place of her father King George VI, her mother Queen Elizabeth, and the ashes of her sister Princess Margaret. The remains of Prince Philip, who was temporarily interred in the Royal Vault following his funeral in 2021, were moved to the chapel after the interment of the Queen.

In other royal news, we shared how Prince Louis perfectly handled the news of the Queen's death and revealed that Prince Harry's return to the UK comes on the eve of the 1st anniversary of the Queen's death.