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Updated plans to mark the death of Queen Elizabeth II have been leaked in Australia. Newly-elected Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was briefed earlier this week about the latest plans for the Queen’s funeral. According to the extraordinary briefing, obtained by The Australian, the country will mark the event with a public holiday.
Other details such as the length of mourning and funeral guest lists were also discussed.
According to the leaked details, Prime Minister Albanese will be informed about the Queen’s death an hour before a public statement is released by Buckingham Palace.
The country will then follow other Commonwealth countries by observing ten days of mourning with flags flying at half-mast.
The Australian PM will put on a black tie immediately after the news is announced.
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The briefing also revealed that the PM’s planned statement about the monarch’s death, which will be delivered in Canberra, has already been drafted.
Meanwhile, in the UK, the Queen’s coffin will be transported from her home at Windsor Castle after her death to Buckingham Palace, where it will remain for four days.
It will then be taken to Westminster Hall to lie in state for another four days.
The funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey 10 days after her death.
The Prime Minister and Australia’s Governor-General are among those invited to fly to London.
Also on the guest list for the funeral are four official Australian mourners.
Alongside them, 10 to 12 notable Australians, including First Australians, sport, community, and charity representatives, will be invited to the Queen’s funeral.
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In Australia, a state funeral will be held, as well as a special service at an Anglican cathedral.
A special meeting of the Executive Council in Australia will also be held to proclaim Charles as King of Australia.
Afterwards, Governor-General David Hurley will officially proclaim Charles the Third as the new King of Australia in a session of Parliament House.
The King’s full Australian title will be Charles the Third, by the Grace of God King of Australia and His other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth.
The 96-year-old’s health has been a concern after the monarch was forced to cancel a series of public appearances during the Platinum Jubilee weekend due to ongoing mobility issues.
This comes as Prime Minister Albanese claimed that Australia could split from the monarchy and become a republic when the Queen dies.
Earlier this month, he appointed Matt Thistlethwaite as the ‘Assistant Minister for the Republic’.
Mr Thistlethwaite said: “Do we want King Charles or are we mature enough or independent enough to look to appoint one of our own as our head of state?”
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