Record 4.1bn people expected to watch Queen’s funeral with ‘2m’ people expected to flock to the capital
16 September 2022, 08:56 | Updated: 16 September 2022, 09:15
An estimated 4.1 BILLION people are expected to tune in to watch the Queen’s state funeral on Monday, making it the most watched televised event in history.
The state funeral for Queen Elizabeth II will be broadcast on terrestrial TV and digital services, and on air and streamed online to billions of viewers.
A TV analyst estimated the coverage would attract ‘billions’ of people across the world. An estimated 2.5bn people watched the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales 25 years ago.
The current world record was set in 1996 when 3.6bn people watched Muhammad Ali light the Olympic torch in Atlanta.
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Carolina Beltramo, TV analyst at WatchTVAbroad.com, said: "Such is the love and admiration for Queen Elizabeth II around the world that her funeral is destined to be the biggest live TV event in history.
"Generations of people across the globe won’t have been alive the last time pomp and pageantry were seen on this scale. While it’s a sad occasion, they can be forgiven for being enthralled by a spectacle that echoes throughout history. For that reason alone they’ll be drawn to witness the dawn of this new age in their billions.
"No fewer than 4.1billion people are expected to tune in on Monday to witness this historic moment as half the people on planet Earth pause to pay their respects."
There will be a national bank holiday to allow as many people as possible to watch the Queen’s funeral.
On Monday morning, the coffin will be taken in a grand military procession from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey for the state funeral.
Senior members of the family are expected to follow behind like they did for the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh.
The military will line the streets and also join the procession.
Heads of state, prime ministers and presidents, European royals and key figures from public life will be invited to gather in the abbey, which can hold a congregation of 2,000.
After the service, the coffin will be taken in procession from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch and then travel to Windsor.
Once there, the hearse will travel in procession to St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle via the Long Walk, after which a televised committal service will take place in St George’s Chapel.
Later in the evening, there will be a private interment service with senior members of the royal family.
