The day of the Queen’s state funeral will be a bank holiday, it was confirmed during King Charles III accession ceremony this morning.
The holiday was formally approved by the King at his first meeting with the Privy Council at St James’s Palace in London.
The date of the funeral has not yet been announced, but it is thought that it will take place on Monday 19 September.
During the meeting, Lord President of the Council Penny Mordaunt said: “Drafts of two proclamations. One – appointing the day of Her late Majesty’s state funeral as a bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
“Two – appointing the day of Her late Majesty’s state funeral as a bank holiday in Scotland.
“And of two orders in council, directing the Lord Chancellor to affix the freat seal to the proclamations.”
The King answered: “Approved.”
The UK previously had an extra bank holiday this year as the nation celebrated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June with a four-day bank holiday weekend from Thursday 2 June to Sunday 5 June.
An additional bank holiday was issued to mark the jubilee on Friday 3 June, and the last May bank holiday was moved from the usual last Monday of May to Thursday 2 June.
When are the next UK bank holidays in 2022?
After the Queen’s funeral, England, Wales and Northern Ireland can expect their next bank holidays on Monday 26 December (Boxing Day) and Tuesday 27 December (Christmas Day substitute).
Scotland, however, will also have an additional bank holiday on Friday 25 November to commemorate St Andrew’s Day.
Christmas Day falls on a Sunday this year, so its bank holiday will be moved, just as it was in 2021.
With the Boxing Day bank holiday falling on a Monday, and the substitute Christmas day off now on the Tuesday, the UK is set to have another four-day bank holiday weekend.
