The Unexpected Way London Prepared For The Queen's Funeral

The plans for the queen's funeral have finally been announced, and, suffice to say, they're pretty extensive. As befitting the longest-reigning monarch in British history, the event is scheduled to take place on Sept. 19 at 11 a.m. BST once Her Majesty's coffin has traveled from Scotland, where she passed away, to Buckingham Palace. CNN confirms that the funeral will be televised and live-streamed for everybody unable to attend in person.

According to The Independent, those who are planning to travel to London to pay their respects while the queen lies in state can expect long queues and wait times. In fact, it's believed that the number of people mourning the queen's death could practically shut down London, with close to 1 million well-wishers estimated to descend upon the capital city during the historic five-night vigil. 

Evidently, major preparations are in place to handle everything. Among the most fascinating is how certain key areas of London are being deep-cleaned ahead of the momentous occasion. The BBC reports that Westminster City Council's Clean Streets team is busily power-washing various statues so they're free of dirt and graffiti, while stickers are also being removed from lampposts. 

One worker, who'd already logged hours of hard work on the project, confirmed that he felt proud to take part, noting, "We all have to do our bit."