The reason why the Queen’s body left Buckingham Palace at 2:22pm

As the procession began Wednesday (September 13), mourners from around the globe gathered to say one last farewell to the royal in central London. The Queen’s funeral is predicted to become the most watched global broadcast in history with 4.1 billion people expected to tune in to Monday's state funeral. The funeral will air on BBC One, BBC News, and BBC iPlayer, while ITV will air the event live and uninterrupted on its main channel and simultaneously on all of its digital channels. An international audience of millions is also expected to tune into the historic moment. Carolina Beltramo, TV analyst at WatchTVAbroad.com, told Metro: "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." Beltramo added: "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." She predicted "no fewer" than 4.1bn people will watch the funeral, "as half the people on planet Earth pause to pay their respects." [caption id="attachment_358407" align="alignnone" width="2048"] The coffin carrying Queen Elizabeth II is seen leaving Balmoral Castle on September 11, 2022 i(Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)[/caption] Monday is a national bank holiday and businesses across the UK have announced they will either be closed or operating under reduced hours, including McDonald's. Heathrow airport cancelled flights on Wednesday and hinted more are likely to be put off on Monday. The coffin carrying the Queen will be taken in a grand military procession from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey for the state funeral on Monday morning. Senior members of the family are expected to follow behind – as they did for the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh - and the military will also join in, and line the streets. 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. Early reports suggested 500 foreign dignitaries had been invited.

etails of the Queen's funeral service can be found here.

The most watched TV broadcasts of all-time

• Live 8 in 2005 – 2billion
• Live Aid in 1985 – 1.9billion
• CCTV New Year's Gala in 2019 – 1.1billion
• Sydney New Year's Eve 2010–2011 in 2010 – 1.1billion
• Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 191 – 1billion
• First inauguration of Barack Obama in 2009 – 1billion
• The Wall – Live in Berlin in 1990 – 1billion
• Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in 2011 – 1billion
• Munich massacre in 1972 – 900million
• The moon landing in 1969 – 652million
• Assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963 – 600million
• Summer Olympics opening ceremony in 2008  - 593million

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