Thank you message to UK public from King Charles III – and some key details of this morning’s service

At 11am today the state funeral for Her Majesty will begin, with Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle – the cleric leading the service – saying that the event will be “on a scale that even Westminster Abbey doesn’t often do”.

It is expected to be one of the most-watched television broadcasts in world history.

Beforehand, a short statement from the King came via Buckingham Palace at 10pm last night, which read as follows: “Over the last 10 days, my wife and I have been so deeply touched by the many messages of condolence and support we have received from this country and across the world.

“In London, Edinburgh, Hillsborough, and Cardiff we were moved beyond measure by everyone who took the trouble to come and pay their respects to the lifelong service of my dear mother, the late Queen.

“As we all prepare to say our last farewell, I wanted simply to take this opportunity to say thank you to all those countless people who have been such a support and comfort to my family and myself in this time of grief.”

In total, the King has travelled an estimated 1,900 miles around the UK following the Queen’s death on September 8.

His engagements took him to the four home nations of the UK – as is reflected in last night’s statement.

Meanwhile, by the time it arrived at Westminster Hall last Wednesday to begin the period of lying-in-state, the Queen’s coffin has travelled around 600 miles since leaving Balmoral on September 11.

MILITARY CHIEF: ‘WE HAVE THE PLAN, NOW WE MUST EXECUTE IT’

More than 10,000 military staff will be involved in the funeral, said the Chief of the Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin.

He said yesterday that 6,000 military personnel will be part of the procession lining the route from central London westwards to Windsor, where the late monarch’s coffin will arrive for a televised committal service at the castle.

“For all of us, this is our last duty for Her Majesty the Queen and it’s our first prominent duty for His Majesty King Charles,” he said.

“We’re representing the nation. We’re representing our mothers, our grandmothers, our fathers, our friends. and everybody’s very, very aware of that.

“We have the plans, and now we have to execute them.”

Rev Hoyle, Dean of Westminster Abbey, said: “This is the place where she made promises that defined her life.

“This is the place where she married the Duke of Edinburgh in 1947. This is the place of her coronation.”

He added: “There’s a sense of responsibility that goes with it and just now and again, there’s a sort of sense of panic, but this place is good at what we do so we’ll be fine.”

WHERE AND WHEN TO WATCH:

The Queen’s is the first funeral of a reigning king or queen to be held in Westminster Abbey since George II’s in 1760.

The Queen saw her daughter, the Princess Royal, marry Captain Mark Phillips in the church in 1973, and her second son, the Duke of York, wed Sarah Ferguson in 1986.

In 2011, her grandson, William, now the Prince of Wales, exchanged vows with Kate Middleton, now Princess of Wales, as millions watched across the globe.

The church was also a reminder of the loss of her mother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and former daughter-in-law, Diana, Princess of Wales.

The Queen Mother’s funeral was held at the abbey in 2002, five years after Diana’s.

It is also the final resting place of 17 monarchs, including Charles II and Elizabeth I.

In terms of the broadcast of the funeral, coverage begins on BBC 1 Northern Ireland at 8am this morning, and according to the BBC website it will continue solidly until 5pm.

The BBC will cover the funeral itself, then what it describes as “one of the largest military processions ever assembled” from Westminster to Windsor for the commital service.

The programme will be presented by Huw Edwards in London and Kirsty Young in Windsor with commentary from Fergal Keane at Westminster Abbey in London and David Dimbleby in Windsor.

ITV has its coverage listed as starting at 9.30am and going on until 6pm.

The government says the funeral will be shown on screens at Belfast City Hall, Coleraine Town Hall, and in Lisburn city centre.

It will also be broadcast in People’s Park, Ballymena, Shaftesbury Park, Carrickfergus, and Larne Market Yard.