<P> Each unit mans the guard for a total of six hours, with each detachment standing post for twenty minutes . The four men stand at each corner with heads bowed and weapons inverted; their backs are turned towards the coffin . </P> <P> On two occasions, the guard has been mounted by four male members of the Royal Family . At the lying in state of King George V in 1936, the guard was mounted by his four sons King Edward VIII, the Duke of York (George VI), the Duke of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent . For Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother's lying - in - state in 2002, the guard was mounted by her four grandsons, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of York, the Earl of Wessex, and Viscount Linley . </P> <P> Lying in state in the United States is the rare honor either authorized by a congressional resolution or approved by the congressional leadership, when permission is granted by survivors, to a deceased official whereby his or her remains are placed in the rotunda of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. for public viewing . The casket is guarded by members of the armed forces . By regulation and custom, only Presidents, military commanders, and members of Congress are granted the honor of lying in state . Except for Presidents and former Presidents, the honor is not automatic . Not all those entitled to the honor have it accepted by their survivors . The first leader to receive this honor was Henry Clay, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, when he died in 1852 . Since then, the honor has been extended to 27 people, including eleven Presidents, and to 4 Unknown Soldiers, representing U.S. service members who have died without their remains being identified . An additional four individuals have lain in honor, a similar privileged . </P> <P> The process of lying in state at the Capitol is as follows . The coffin or casket is usually placed on a catafalque, usually the Lincoln catafalque, so named as it was constructed for lying in state upon the death of Abraham Lincoln, after his assassination in 1865 . The casket is guarded at each of its corners by a serviceperson from each of the branches of the armed forces . In contrast to the practice in the United Kingdom and other countries of the Commonwealth, guards at the Capitol face the casket, hold their rifles with their right hand, and keep the rifle butt resting on the floor . After the viewing and ceremony at the Capitol, the remains are taken to the burial location . </P>

Who gets to lie in state at capitol