Apple will close all of its retail stores in the United Kingdom on Monday, September 19, to pay respect to the state funeral of Her Majesty the Queen, Apple told UK-based staff earlier today.
King Charles III has earmarked Monday, September 19 as a bank holiday, as the state funeral for Her Majesty will take place on that day. Official government guidance states that it’s up to individual businesses whether they wish to close on that day.
From the government website:
Monday 19 September, the date of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s State Funeral, will be a national bank holiday.
This will allow individuals, businesses and other organisations to pay their respects to Her Majesty and commemorate Her reign, while marking the final day of the period of national mourning.
This bank holiday will operate in the same way as other bank holidays, and there is no statutory entitlement to time off. Employers may include bank holidays as part of a worker’s leave entitlement.
The bank holiday will take place across the United Kingdom.
Apple stores will also operate at a reduced capacity across the United Kingdom this coming Wednesday, which is the first day the Queen’s coffin is expected to lie in state in London. Reduced capacity is expected to continue into the weekend at some locations.
Apple last week updated its homepage to honor Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away at Balmoral Castle. The tribute features a photograph of Queen Elizabeth taken by Dorothy Wilding in 1952.
Queen Elizabeth II was Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, serving as the face of her country for seven decades. She was 96.
She died “peacefully” Thursday afternoon, Buckingham Palace said in a statement.
