State funeral

The coffin of John Curtin, Prime Minister of Australia from 1941 to 1945, lying in state inside King's Hall, Old Parliament House, Canberra, on July 6, 1945

A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements of military tradition. Generally, state funerals are held in order to involve the general public in a national day of mourning after the family of the deceased gives consent. A state funeral will often generate mass publicity from both national and global media outlets.

See also

• List of people who have received a state funeral
• Funeral train
• Limbers and caissons
• Lincoln Catafalque
• Lying in repose
• Lying in state
• Military funeral
• Missing man formation
• Riderless horse
• State funerals in Canada
• State funerals in the United States
• Vigil of the Princes

Further reading

• Sandburg, Carl (1936). Abraham Lincoln: The War Years IV. Harcourt, Brace & World.
• Swanson, James (2006). Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer. Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-06-051849-3.

• The traditions of a British state funeral
• Memorializing U.S. Presidents
• Funeral Section of the RCMP Ceremonial and Protocol Guide Archived 2005-10-23 at the Wayback Machine
• "STATE, OFFICIAL, AND SPECIAL MILITARY FUNERALS" by the U.S. Army
• The Last Salute Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine (CMH Pub 90–1) published by the United States Army Center of Military History
• NSW Policy on State Funerals Archived 2018-12-15 at the Wayback Machine
• Commentary on state funeral offer for Australian Kerry Packer
• Royal Funeral of King Tafa'ahau Tupou IV - Royal Palace Office