The Lying-in-State and related events staged by Parliament following the death of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Major ceremonial events were staged by Parliament following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.The occasion of the Lying-in-State of the late Monarch took place in Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster from Wednesday 14 to Monday 19 September. On Monday 12 September, Westminster Hall was also the setting for the presentation by the Speakers of both Houses of Parliament of loyal addresses to His Majesty King Charles III on behalf of the Lords and the Commons, which The King responded to.
The Lying-in-State allowed hundreds of thousands of people from all over the United Kingdom and the wider world to pay their respects to Her late Majesty. During this period, Parliament also played host to many overseas heads of state and hundreds of national and international media representatives who came to Westminster to cover the events.
Preparations commenced immediately following the announcement of Her Majesty’s passing on Thursday 8 September and continued unabated and on a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week basis until the Parliamentary Estate returned to business as usual some 14 days later. Work related to the winding down of these events in Parliament, known as Operation Marquee, continued for several weeks after that.
Both Houses of Parliament are now able to publish a final assessment of the costs associated with the delivery of Operation Marquee. The table below sets out the related costs incurred by each House under the different expenditure headings.
