An armored Edinburgh prepares to welcome Queen Elizabeth's coffin.

The state funeral will be held at Westminster Abbey on Monday 19 September at 11 am local time (12 noon in Italy) as confirmed by Buckingham Palace with details.

In the Scottish city, some important arteries have been closed since yesterday, on the Royal Mile the rubbish bins have been removed, the barriers draw the path of the coffin, which leaves the Ballroom of Balmoral Castle, where the Queen died , headed to Holyroodhouse - residence of the British rulers.

Thousands of people are already crowding the streets. 

Arrival is expected around 5pm Italian time.

The six-hour journey of the hearse from Balmoral to Edinburgh will cross the counties (via Aberdeen, Perth, Dundee) to the capital of Scotland where the oak coffin will be laid at the Palace of Holyroodhouse and rest in the Throne Room until the afternoon of Monday 12 September. 

A handover ceremony will also take place in Scotland today with the proclamation of the new king, Charles III, first on Edinburgh's Royal Mile at the end of the morning and then in the city's castle.

Tomorrow the Scottish capital will be the scene of another traditional and evocative ceremony, the 'Ceremony of the Keys': an ancient custom that involves the delivery of the keys of Edinburgh to the new king who returns them to the city so that he can keep them in the best possible way. 

The procession on Monday

On Monday the coffin will be transferred in procession to St. Giles Cathedral, where it will remain for 24 hours to allow the subjects to pay homage. 

The procession will start at 2:35 pm followed on foot by the king, the queen consort and some members of the royal family.

At 14:55, the arrival in the Scottish cathedral where the public will be able to pay tribute.

At 7:20 pm, the king and other members of the royal family will organize a vigil.

The return to London

On the afternoon of Tuesday 13 September, the Queen's coffin with a Royal Air Force plane will arrive at the Northolt base at 8 pm (9 pm in Italy).

Accompanying the body will be the Queen's only daughter, Princess Anne.

The queen's coffin will then be taken by hearse to Buckingham Palace, where members of the royal family can pay their respects. 

To welcome the coffin there will be King Charles III and the queen consort together with other members of the royal family.

The queen will lie for "four clear days" in Westminster Hall from Wednesday 14 September, Buckingham Palace announced, until her funeral officially set for 19 September at 11 am.

During the Lying-in-State, subjects will have the opportunity to visit Westminster Hall to pay their respects to the Queen.

The Lying-in-State will end on the morning of Monday 19 September and the coffin will be carried in procession from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey, where the ceremony will take place.

After the state funeral, the coffin will travel in procession from Westminster Abbey to the Wellington Arch. From Wellington Arch, the coffin will travel to Windsor and from there to St. George's Chapel.

Schools closed on the day of the funeral

The UK Department of Education has confirmed that schools and colleges in England are expected to close on Monday 19 September, the day of Queen Elizabeth II's funeral, which was declared a public holiday.

In a message to school administrators, the department said that "the official date of the state funeral is September 19, 2022. This day will be a public holiday and facilities normally closed on a public holiday should also close on this day as a sign of respect. This will include schools and colleges. "

Schools in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will also close.