Queen Elizabeth II: Mourners queue to lay flowers outside palace

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Her Majesty died peacefully at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on Thursday, September 8, ushering in a period of mourning around the world. Yesterday, King Charles III gave his first address to the nation as Sovereign – he has declared a period of national mourning which will end seven days after Her Majesty’s funeral. Many sports events and events in the arts have been postponed or cancelled as a result of Her Majesty’s death. Here is the latest update for what’s cancelled.

What sports have been cancelled? 

The Premier League and Football League have postponed all fixtures this weekend. Following the death of Her Majesty, Football Association’s chief executive Mark Bullingham outlined the position to call off the games.

However, the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) lamented an “opportunity missed” for fans and players to pay an immediate tribute to Queen Elizabeth II.

All games in the Women’s Super League, Women’s Championship and Women’s FA Cup have been postponed while the Scottish Football Association has also announced the postponement of games across the weekend.

In Cricket, the second day of the final Test between England and South Africa was cancelled on Friday due to Her Majesty’s death, however the Test is set to resume today.

The Rugby Union matches on Friday evening which were due to open the season were postponed to the weekend, when all other matches would go ahead as scheduled.

In Golf, the BMW PGA Championship began Thursday morning but golfers were called off after the death of the Queen was announced, play resumed on Saturday.

All Horse Races for Friday and Saturday have been called off as a sign of respect to the Queen, who had a special love for the sport. It’s expected races will resume on Sunday while continuing to mourn the Queen.

In cycling, the Tour of Britain was declared over on Thursday, scrapping Friday, Saturday and Sunday’s stages.

In Boxing, Saturday’s middleweight world title fight between Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall has been postponed until October 15. All fights on Friday were called off.

Will schools close for the mourning period?

Schools are expected to remain open for most of the mourning period, although the Department for Education (DoE) told headteachers to “consider conducting special activities, holding assemblies or adapting planned lessons” in honour of the Queen.

DoE has said that it will issue further guidance to headteachers as the royal household releases the dates and preparations for the Queen’s funeral.

The DoE told headteachers: “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.”

Have strikes been called off?

Several planned strikes across the country have been scrapped or postponed following the Queen’s death.

A planned strike for Friday by the Royal Mail workers was called off while rail strikes planned for September have been cancelled.

The train drivers union Aslef had planned strike action on September 15 while the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association had planned to strike on September 26.

Additionally, the Trade Union Congress has postponed its annual meeting due to take place in Brighton for four days starting Sunday, September 11.

Are cultural events cancelled?

The National Gallery has been shut and The Royal Opera House has closed its performance of Don Giovanni.

The BBC has also pulled its Last Night of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, where the Queen was a patron.

BBC said: “Following the very sad news of the death of Her Majesty the Queen, as a mark of respect we will not be going ahead with Prom 71 on Friday, September 9 or the Last Night of the Proms on Saturday, Sept 10.”

Express.co.uk spoke to mourners at Buckingham Palace on Thursday who had planned to attend shows, but instead made their way to the Palace to show their respects when the events were cancelled.

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Other closures

The filming of the sixth season of The Crown has been paused as a sign of respect for Her Majesty the Queen, the subject of the show.

Westminster Abbey has said that it will close to tourists during the mourning period, but would be open for prayer and worship. Churches around the country have been encouraged to “muffle their bells” to mark the Queen’s death.

Government business will continue, however it will be scaled back, focusing on the essentials. Policy announcements will not be made as usual, however critical information will still be shared. It is believed that measures to implement an energy price freeze will continue.

Shops will likely remain open at their discretion, although some may be closed on the day of the funeral.

The Government has given the Official Guidance that: “There is no obligation on organisations to suspend business during the National Mourning period.”

Will there be a bank holiday for Her Majesty’s funeral?

Following the King’s formal ascension to the throne today, a proclamation was put forward appointing the day of the Queen’s funeral as a bank holiday in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

King Charles III has now signed that proclamation meaning that the day of the Queen’s funeral will be a bank holiday.

Her Majesty’s funeral is expected to take place Monday September 19, however Buckingham Palace has not announced the date.

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