State funerals in the United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, a state funeral is usually reserved for a monarch. The last such funeral was held in 1952 for King George VI. In addition, very exceptionally, a state funeral may be held to honour a highly distinguished figure, with the approval of the monarch and with Parliament's approval (of the expenditure of public funds). This last happened in 1965 for Sir Winston Churchill.

Other funerals (including those of senior members of the Royal Family and high-ranking public figures) may share many of the characteristics of a state funeral without being gazetted as such; for these, the term 'ceremonial funeral' is used. In the 21st century, the funerals of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (2002) and Baroness Thatcher (2013) have fallen into this category.

Along with the funeral service itself (which will be a large-scale national occasion), these events tend to be characterized by the use of a gun carriage to transport the coffin between locations, accompanied by a procession of military bands and detachments along with mourners and other officials. They may also feature a lying in state and other associated ceremonies.

In the past century, the state funeral of a monarch has generally followed this pattern:

State funerals of distinguished citizens have followed a similar pattern, except for the location of the funeral and burial. Churchill's body was taken by gun carriage from Westminster Hall to St Paul's Cathedral for the funeral. Afterward it was taken by river (on board the Port of London Authority launch Havengore) to Waterloo for the railway journey to Bladon for burial.

State and ceremonial funerals in the United Kingdom are usually assisted by the funeral directors to the Royal Household, which are privately owned and commercially operated businesses selected and appointed by the Lord Chamberlain's Office.

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