Regent of the Zulu nation, Queen Shiyiwe Mantfombi Dlamini Zulu, will be buried at a private funeral at the “crack of dawn” on Thursday.

This is according to traditional prime minister to the Zulu monarch and nation, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, who made the announcement on Monday.

The queen died on Thursday aged 65.

Buthelezi said her body would be transported from Johannesburg to her Royal Palace of KwaKhangelamankengane in Ngongoma on Wednesday in preparation for the burial.

“In line with her wishes, as was done for His Majesty the King, Her Majesty will be interred at the crack of dawn in a private burial. As confirmed by her children, Her Majesty wished to be buried at her royal palace. Having discussed this with the Queen Mother, Queen Mayvis maZungu, it has been agreed that everything must be done in accordance with the late regent’s wishes.”

He said, after the burial, a memorial service would be held on Friday at the palace, which would be presided over by the Seventh-day Adventist Church to which the queen belonged.

The Sunday Times reported that after the queen’s death, the Zulu royal family has been rocked by claims that King Goodwill Zwelithini’s will may have been forged — and further shaken by a court bid by his first wife to interdict the coronation of a new ruler.