LONDON (AP) —Palace officials say the state funeral for Queen Elizabeth II will take place on Sept. 19 at Westminster Abbey in London after the public gets an opportunity to pay their last respects to the monarch.

Elizabeth, the nation’s longest-reigning sovereign, died Thursday at her summer retreat in the Scottish Highlands.

Details on the 96-year old queen’s funeral will be released later, but organizers on Saturday described the ceremony as a “a fitting farewell to one of the defining figures of our times.’’

Palace officials said there would be opportunities to see the late sovereign’s oak coffin as it journeys from Balmoral Castle in Scotland to Edinburgh and again in London, where her body will lie in state for four days starting Wednesday.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1662828587465.png" alt="The condolence book at the British Consulate General in Houston, Texas-photo courtesy&nbsp; office of British Consulate General" />
                        <figcaption>The condolence book at the British Consulate General in Houston, Texas-photo courtesy&nbsp; office of British Consulate General</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>LONDON (AP) —Palace officials say the state funeral for Queen Elizabeth II will take place on Sept. 19 at Westminster Abbey in London after the public gets an opportunity to pay their last respects to the monarch.</p><p>Elizabeth, the nation’s longest-reigning sovereign, died Thursday at her summer retreat in the Scottish Highlands.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The State Funeral of Her Majesty The Queen will take place at Westminster Abbey on Monday 19th September.<br><br>Prior to the State Funeral, The Queen will Lie-in-State in Westminster Hall for four days, to allow the public to pay their respects.</p>&mdash; The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) <a href="https://twitter.com/RoyalFamily/status/1568631258657312770?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>Details on the 96-year old queen’s funeral will be released later, but organizers on Saturday described the ceremony as a “a fitting farewell to one of the defining figures of our times.’’</p><p>Palace officials said there would be opportunities to see the late sovereign’s oak coffin as it journeys from Balmoral Castle in Scotland to Edinburgh and again in London, where her body will lie in state for four days starting Wednesday.</p>

Palace sets date for Queen Elizabeth II's funeral