Queen Elizabeth II's funeral: Will schools and workplaces close on bank holiday?
12 September 2022, 11:52 | Updated: 13 September 2022, 09:32
A UK bank holiday has been confirmed to mark the late Queen's funeral on Monday 19 September.
Queen Elizabeth II's royal state funeral has been confirmed for September 19 and will be marked as a bank holiday all around the UK.
King Charles III settled the extra public holiday as one of his first roles as monarch as he set the final details for the order of mourning.
The bank holiday date - which is the second extra date of 2022 following the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations – has been set as a national day of mourning.
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Following the bank holiday date confirmation, here's everything you need to know including whether schools or workplaces will close.
Will schools close for the Queen's funeral?
Following the funeral date confirmation, it's been confirmed schools in the UK will close for the bank holiday Monday.
The Department of Education has also stated that schools should operate as normal during the rest of the mourning period.
Their statement read: "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.”
Will shops close on the bank holiday?
As with normal bank holidays, shops are not obliged to close on the day of the Queen's state funeral.
However, it's best to check what your local shops are choosing to do as some may close as a sign of respect.
King Charles III arrives at Parliament for accession event
Will workplaces close on the bank holiday?
This is left down to the discretion of your employer as there is no legal requirement to give you the extra bank holiday.
Although, the government has encouraged employers to respond appropriately.
They said: "It will be a unique national moment, and we would encourage employers to respond sensitively to requests from workers who wish to take time off.
"The government cannot interfere in existing contractual arrangements between employers and workers. However, we would expect that many workers will be able to take the day off on the bank holiday."
