Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire: Where to watch and which services will be affected?
- Published
St Albans Cathedral said it will screen the funeral on large TV screens in the nave
The Queen's funeral will be held at Westminster Abbey in London at 11:00 BST on Monday, 19 September and will be broadcast on BBC television and can be streamed on BBC iPlayer, with updates on the BBC news website and BBC radio throughout the day.
The service will also be shown on some big screens for communal gatherings.
The day has been declared a Bank Holiday which means changes to many civic and health services.
Where can I watch the Queen's funeral in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire?
Some local authorities have organised civic screenings of Monday's funeral.
Bedford Borough Council, external said it will be available to watch at Bedford Corn Exchange, with doors opening from 10:00 BST.
Mayor of Bedford Borough, Dave Hodgson, said he recognised "many residents will not want to be alone".
Bedford Corn Exchange will be screening the Queen's funeral on Monday
In Hertfordshire, St Albans Cathedral said it will screen the funeral on large TV screens in the nave, and those in attendance can join in with the hymns of the service.
Buckinghamshire Council and Central Bedfordshire Council said it did not have any plans to publicly show the funeral.
The BBC has asked Luton Borough Council and Hertfordshire County Council if there will be any civic showings.
The funeral will also be broadcast on BBC television and be available to stream on BBC iPlayer, with updates on the BBC news website and BBC radio throughout the day.
Other networks are also expected to broadcast the event.
Meanwhile, the BBC has a dedicated stream of the Queen lying in state, for people who want to pay their respects virtually.
How will transport be affected?
Rail operators including Thameslink have said trains and stations will be very busy
Train operators have been dealing with very busy services during the national mourning period as many people from across the country travel to London to pay their respects to the Queen.
Industrial action planed for the 15, 17, 26 and 27 September has already been called-off .
The Rail Delivery Group, which represents all train operators, said that transport providers have "well-developed plans" with extra staff and it is working with Network Rail, Transport for London and other partners to ensure that "Londoners and visitors to the capital are able to get around safely and as easily as possible".
The general advice from all operators is that trains and stations will be very busy so customers should check service details before travelling.
Avanti West Coast said it expected services to be "exceptionally busy" and customers should "check before they travel and leave as much time as possible for their journey".
Queueing systems may be put in place at some stations during busy periods to help people travel through stations and board its services, it said.
Chiltern Railways said it will be operating an "enhanced timetable" on Monday to provide "maximum capacity" for passengers wishing to visit London.
Two additional overnight trains will also operate in the early hours of Tuesday between London Marylebone and Oxford.
All travel information can be found on its changes to train times, external page.
Govia Thameslink, which covers Great Northern, Southern and Thameslink services has added that although Monday is a Bank Holiday, it will be running a normal weekday service rather than a Saturday service that would usually be in place.
Some stations will also have a queuing system in place.
Greater Anglia has said that "where possible, it will be running some extra services".
"Customers should check journey planners for the most up to date information," a statement said.
London North Eastern Railway, external (LNER)
LNER advises that passengers have a seat reservation to avoid having to stand.
Buses
Two days of strikes by the Arriva Bus Company will no longer go ahead as a mark of respect.
It said the union, Unite, had called off action planned across Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire on 16 and 20 September.
In Hertfordshire, a Sunday service will be in place on Monday. All the latest bus travel info in Hertfordshire can be found on Interlink, external.
What else will change for the funeral?
A book of condolence has opened at County Hall in Hertford and all libraries for people who wish to pay their respects to the Queen - but libraries will be closed on Monday
Bedford Borough Council said there will be some changes to council services, external on Monday. Domestic waste and recycling will not be collected, all leisure facilities will be closed as well as some libraries.
Central Bedfordshire Council has announced similar changes, external.
Luton Borough Council, external has said all council services will be closed on Monday.
Buckinghamshire Council said it will close its operations on Monday and to check its website, external for specific impacts to services including revised timetables and guidance.
All emergency arrangements will remain in place to ensure support is continuously available for vulnerable residents, it said.
Milton Keynes Council, external has not yet revealed plans but they are expected to be similar to other areas.
Hertfordshire County Council, external has said only essential council services will operate on Monday and full details can be found on its website, external.
Weddings and civil partnerships will take place where couples wish to go ahead and it will also register deaths.
Routine roadworks will be paused but emergency safety works will continue.
How will health services be affected?
The Queen met with newborn babies, parents and staff when she officially opened the Lister Hospital's maternity unit in 2012
The NHS in the East of England said NHS organisations are "currently working through any changes needed to support patients and staff as part of the forthcoming Bank Holiday".
"Every endeavour will be made to directly contact any patient affected by changes as a result of this," a statement said.
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, external said some non-urgent health appointments and procedures will be postponed on the day of the Queen's funeral and all relevant patients would be contacted.
The trust said both Bedford Hospital and the Luton and Dunstable Hospital would remain open, with urgent and emergency care continuing as normal.
The Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, external said it will continue to run emergency and urgent services on its hospital sites in Amersham, Wycombe and Stoke Mandeville on Monday, district nurses will continue to provide their normal service looking after people in their own homes and all maternity services will run as usual.
But most planned operations and outpatient appointments will be rescheduled.
All East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, external patients who have an appointment on Monday will be contacted to confirm if their appointment will be going ahead and, if so, whether they can attend, the trust said. This includes people scheduled to go to the Lister Hospital in Stevenage, Hertford County Hospital, the New QE II in Welwyn Garden City and the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre.
Milton Keynes University Hospital, external said it will continue to provide inpatient care, urgent and emergency care, urgent surgery, urgent diagnostics, cancer clinics and some routine outpatient clinics on Monday.
Patients who have an outpatient appointment will be contacted directly with information about whether the appointment is going ahead or being rescheduled.
West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, external which overseas hospitals in Watford, St Albans and Hemel Hempstead, said all appointments will be rearranged including outpatients, planned surgery and diagnostics with all patients contacted directly with emergency and in-patient care continuing as usual.
- Published14 September 2022
