Bank holiday for the late Queen’s funeral on Monday – Supermarkets, Center Parcs and more to close

Britain has been granted an extra bank holiday for the day of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral on Monday, Sep 19.

The King gave his approval for the public holiday during a meeting of the Accession Council, where he was formally declared Head of State.

As the country mourns the death of the late Queen, sporting and cultural events have also been cancelled.

Will there be a bank holiday for Queen Elizabeth's funeral?

Yes. The bank holiday confirmation came when the King approved an order during the Accession Council.

Penny Mordaunt, Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council, put forward "drafts of two proclamations" for bank holidays across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The King answered: "Approved."

Will schools close?

Schools and shops will be closed, postal services will be suspended and most of the country will be given the day off work to watch the first state funeral of a monarch since 1952 and the first state funeral of any kind since Winston Churchill was given the honour in 1965.

While they will be closed on the day of the bank holiday, the Department for Education said schools and colleges in England should remain open as normal during the mourning period.

In a message to headteachers, officials from the department said: "Schools and further education settings should remain open. While normal attendance is expected, headteachers continue to have the power to authorise leaves of absence for pupils in exceptional circumstances."

The message from the DfE went on to suggest that schools may want to "consider conducting special activities, holding assemblies or adapting planned lessons" to commemorate the Queen’s life.

Will shops close for the funeral?

Shops may choose to close on the day of the funeral, particularly if they are close to the route of the procession.

Official guidance from the Government states: "There is no obligation on organisations to suspend business during the national mourning period."

Primark, WH Smith, Currys and Toolstation, however, are among businesses that have confirmed their doors will be shut to the public on the day of the funeral.

Supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Morrisons, Marks & Spencer, Lidl, Co-op and Asda, as well as department stores John Lewis and Harrods, have also confirmed their closure plans.

A limited number of Waitrose outlets on the route of the funeral may stay open to serve members of the public in attendance. These shops will be closed during the funeral service.

Andrew Murphy, chief operating officer of the John Lewis Partnership, said: "We are deeply saddened by the death of Her Majesty The Queen.

"We are closing our stores on the day of her funeral as a mark of respect, and because we believe this is the right thing to do for our Partners and customers."

What does this mean for other businesses?

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said the decision had been taken to "allow individuals, businesses and other organisations to pay their respects to Her Majesty and commemorate her reign, while marking the final day of the period of national mourning".

Although bank holidays do not automatically give workers statutory entitlement to time off, and employers can include the day as part of annual leave entitlement, the department said that next Monday "will be a unique national moment, and we would encourage employers to respond sensitively to requests from workers who wish to take time off".

Will we get an annual bank holiday?

There is no precedent for state funerals to be marked with a bank holiday. When Queen Elizabeth’s father, King George VI, died, the country was not granted a bank holiday.

The government said there were "no plans" to make the date of the funeral an annual bank holiday in years to come, and said that no decision had yet been made on whether there would be a bank holiday for the Coronation, which is expected to take place next year.

A government spokesman said a decision over a Coronation bank holiday would be made "nearer the time".

What sports events are cancelled?

All horse-racing has been cancelled on the day of the funeral. No other major sporting events were planned for this Monday.

What else is impacted by the funeral?

Royal Mail

Royal Mail announced that it would suspend services on the day of the funeral as a mark of respect to the monarch.

Simon Thompson, chief executive of Royal Mail, said the service would continue to play an "important role" in delivering messages of condolence to the Royal Family.

He said: "We are proud that over the coming days Royal Mail will play an important role delivering messages of condolence from all around the world to the Royal Family.

"We want to make our customers aware that services will be suspended on the day of the funeral as people come together to honour Her Majesty, after 70 years of exemplary service to the nation and the Commonwealth."

The relationship between the monarch and the British postal service has been in place for more than 500 years, since Henry VIII appointed the very first postmaster.

Royal Mail said the Queen continued this close relationship, taking a keen interest in Royal Mail and playing an active role in the selection and approval of stamps.

Courts

Although courts in England and Wales will remain open during the mourning period, they are expected to hear only urgent matters on the day of the funeral itself.

Heritage Sites

Historic sites across the UK, from Stonehenge to HMS Belfast, will be closed on the day of the Queen's state funeral as a mark of respect.

English Heritage, which cares for the world famous prehistoric stone circle as well as other important monuments and properties including Dover Castle, Eltham Palace in London and Roman forts on Hadrian's Wall, said all of its sites would be shut on Monday.

In a statement, the heritage organisation said: "As a mark of respect, English Heritage is closing all sites on Monday September 19 2022 for Her Majesty the Queen's state funeral.

"The Union flag will fly at half-mast at all our sites with flagpoles until the morning after the funeral."

National Trust houses, gardens, cafes and shops will also be closed on the day of the funeral.

The organisation said coast and countryside car parks and pre-booked holiday cottages and campsites will remain open for visitors.

Museums and Galleries

The Imperial War Museums, which has museums in London, Manchester, Duxford, Cambridgeshire, the Churchill War Rooms in central London and HMS Belfast on the Thames, is closing all five sites on Monday.

Major galleries including the National Gallery in London, National Galleries of Scotland and the Tate galleries will also be closed, as will museums including the Natural History Museum, Science Museum and the V&A in South Kensington, London.

The National Museum of Scotland is also shutting its doors to visitors, and Museum Wales said it will close its seven sites on Monday.

Center Parcs

Center Parcs has announced it will order holidaymakers to leave its UK sites on the day of the Queen's funeral.

The company is being inundated with complaints after it revealed that its five parks will close for 24 hours from 10am on Monday.

Guests partway through seven-day holidays - which generally cost more than £1,000 for a family-of-four at this time of year - will be forced to spend the night elsewhere or go home early.

Those due to arrive on Monday for shorter stays are being given the opportunity to begin their breaks a day later.

Center Parcs said in a statement that it made the decision "as a mark of respect and to allow as many of our colleagues as possible to be part of this historic moment".

It added: "We hope our guests will understand our decision to support our Queen on her final journey.

"All guests impacted by the closure will receive an email today explaining the options available."

Customers who want to cancel their holidays are being offered a full refund, with partial refunds for those whose breaks will be shorter than booked.

GP and hospital appointments

Thousands of GP and hospital appointments are being cancelled due to the bank holiday on Monday.

NHS hospitals in England have been urged to contact all patients with appointments on the day of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, whether or not their appointment has been postponed.

Some major hospitals have said they will postpone "the vast majority" of non-urgent cases. Others - including major cancer centres- have said they expect services to operate "as usual".

The announcement of the bank holiday has left NHS services scrambling to reorganise services.

GPs have been told they can close their doors, with local areas asked to ensure there is sufficient "out of hours" services in place to cope with demand.

The closure of schools mean some doctors and nurses said they had no choice but to take the day off, in order to provide childcare.

Hospital trusts are expected to make their own decisions around appointments based on local staffing levels and whether or not local transport will mean patients and staff are unable to attend.

A spokesperson for the NHS in England said: "As with any bank holiday, NHS staff will work to ensure that urgent and emergency services, including urgent dental and GP appointments, are available - and patients will be contacted by their local trusts, if necessary, regarding their existing appointments.

"Covid vaccination services, particularly in care homes, are being asked to continue their work given the importance of protecting people ahead of winter and the public should access NHS services in the usual way, including through 111 online or 999 in an emergency."

Meanwhile the public has been urged to check they have enough medication over the bank holiday.

This article is kept updated with the latest information.