Everything you can’t do during Queen’s funeral – from cycling to takeaways

The UK will come to a standstill today for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. Crowds of mourners have descended on central London as they come to pay their respects to Her Majesty before she makes her final journey from Westminster Abbey to Windsor.

Thousands of people are expected to be at the funeral, including our new monarch King Charles III, while millions more will be watching all over the world. The day has been made a national bank holiday, so there have been lots of closures and guidance in place that will impact our normal routines today. Here is a look at everything you won’t be able to do.

Supermarkets

For the latest updates on the Queen’s funeral, follow our live blog.

Supermarket chains can vary on bank holidays for opening times, but some have announced they are closing their doors during the Queen’s funeral.

Asda said it will shut all its stores until 5pm on the day to allow employees to watch the funeral and will not be offering online deliveries.

Large Tesco supermarkets will close all day, and smaller Express stores will shut until 5pm, but convenience stores and petrol stations will open 5pm to 10pm.

Sainsbury’s will close all its supermarkets and Argos stores on the day of the funeral, but smaller stores and its petrol forecourts will open from 5pm to 10pm.

Waitrose, John lewis, M&S, Morrisons, Lidl and Co-op will also be shut.

Food and drink

More than 2,000 Costa Coffee shops cafes will be closed during the bank holiday, with some minor exceptions.

For example, any stores that are located inside a hospital will remain open.

The chain also explained that all its Express machines will remain open in the stores that haven’t also closed their doors.

McDonald’s has confirmed that all its restaurants will be closed on Monday, September 19, until 5pm, “to allow everyone at McDonald’s to pay their respects to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.”

Operating hours will return to normal after 5pm today.

JD Wetherspoon has announced that most of its pubs will be closed during the funeral, but will open from around 1pm on September 19.

For local, independent pubs, it will be up to the individual landlords to open up,

Retailers

Homebase, Next, B&Q, Primark, Argos, Poundland and John Lewis have all said they will be shutting on the day of the late monarch’s funeral.

All of WH Smith’s high street branches will be shut for the day, but the firm’s smaller Travel stores will close for at least the funeral itself.

Harrods, Selfridges, Dunelm, Currys, Wilko, Toolstation, Kwik Fit, Waterstones, Home Bargains, Pets at Home will also be closed.

Royal Mail

Due to the funeral, there will be no collection, processing or delivery of letters and parcels.

Royal Mail said: “Following the announcement that HM the Queen’s state funeral will be marked as a bank holiday,
Royal Mail services will be suspended on the day of the funeral.”

Post Offices will also be closed all day across the country, but are set to open on Tuesday morning as normal.

Cycling

British Cycling initially suggested people should not get on their bikes during the funeral.

They said no domestic events should take place on the day and added: “British Cycling strongly recommends that anybody out riding their bike on the day of the state funeral does so outside of the timings of the funeral service and associated processions.”

They were forced to make a U-turn after a fierce backlash from the public and apologised for getting it wrong.

“British Cycling sincerely apologises for the guidance issued on Tuesday afternoon relating to cycling during the State Funeral,” the body said in a statement.

“We understand that the decision on whether to cycle during that time is one for individuals and clubs to take for themselves, and we’re sorry that we got it wrong on this occasion.”

Gyms

The Gym Group and JD Gyms will be closed between 10am and 2pm, whilst Virgin Active will close all of their central London sites but their other venues around the country will open from 2pm to 8pm.

Fitness First will shut some of its central London sites, with those staying open operating between 8am and 4pm.

Independent gyms will have their own opening policies, but most will be respecting the two-minute silence at the end of the funeral service at 11.55am.

Independent gyms will have their own opening policies, and so you should contact for information.

The leisure industry has taken a mixed approach to the day of the Queen’s funeral, as some leisure centres will be closed for the whole day, while others will open with revised timetables.

Cinemas

Many cinemas will be shut during the Queen’s funeral, including Odeon.

The BFI is closing all its venues as well, including its flagship Southbank location in London and the Imax at Waterloo.

Other chains to confirm closures include Showcase and The Light.

However, cinema chains including Vue, Curzon, Reel Cinemas, Savoy, Arc and Picturedrome will screen the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II for free on Monday, September 19 – around 150 venues.

Curzon Cinemas will show the funeral in its 16 venues during the day; and will resume its normal programming of films in the evening.

Sport

No professional football will take place at all on Monday – and grassroots matches have also been called off.

It’s up to individual golf clubs to decide whether or not they open, with some electing to carry on with business as usual and others opting to shut down.

England Golf said in a statement: “We invite clubs and counties to mark Monday’s solemn occasion in a respectful and appropriate manner. It is for each club and county to use their discretion and choose how to do this.”

Tourism

English Heritage has confirmed that heritage sites across the UK, including Stone Henge and HMS Belfast, will be shut for visitors.

Popular holiday destination Centre Parcs initially confirmed it would close all five of its sites across the UK on the bank holiday.

However, the company has now backtracked on the decision, saying that it will no longer require guests who are not due to depart on Monday to leave.

Museums will be shutting their doors for the bank holiday, including the Natural History Museum, Science Museum and the V&A in South Kensington, London.

You can leave your tributes to Queen Elizabeth II here