The Queen’s coffin travels to Edinburgh as more proclamations for Charles take place across UK.
Image source, Getty ImagesPeople are lining the streets as Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin travels from Balmoral to Edinburgh.
The hearse is being driven to the Palace of Holyroodhouse as part of the journey to London ahead of her funeral on 19 September.
Mourners have been watching in silence as her coffin, wrapped in the Royal Standard for Scotland, passed by.
Crowds have also gathered to hear King Charles III proclaimed monarch in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Ceremonies took place in Edinburgh, next to St Giles’ Cathedral, as well as at Cardiff Castle in Wales and at Hillsborough Castle in County Down.
The Queen’s coffin is set to arrive in Edinburgh after a six-hour drive which will see it go through Aberdeen and Dundee.
The Princess Royal is travelling in the second car of the cortege on the 175-mile journey, accompanied by her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.
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Earlier, six gamekeepers from her Balmoral estate placed the Queen’s oak coffin into a hearse before she left Balmoral for the final time.
The wreath on top of the coffin features some of the Queen’s favourite flowers, all cut from the estate – white heather, dahlias and sweet peas, phlox and pine fir.
When the cortege reached Ballater, Aberdeenshire – the closest village to Balmoral – flowers were thrown in the road by mourners.
Once in Edinburgh, the Queen’s coffin will remain at Holyroodhouse – the monarch’s official residence in Scotland – overnight.
On Monday afternoon, the coffin will process to St Giles’ Cathedral, accompanied by the King and other members of the Royal Family. The coffin will remain under continuous vigil for 24 hours, with the public able to pay their respects.
A service will be held at the cathedral in the evening.
The following day, Princess Anne will accompany her mother’s coffin as it travels from Edinburgh Airport back to Buckingham Palace via RAF Northolt.
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said it was a “sad and poignant moment” as the Queen left her “beloved Balmoral” for the last time.
She said: “Today, as she makes her journey to Edinburgh, Scotland will pay tribute to an extraordinary woman.”
Image source, PA Media
King Charles became king the moment his mother died, but in a meeting of the Accession Council – a ceremony dating back centuries – at St James’s Palace on Saturday, he was formally confirmed in the role.
The proclamation has now been read in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as in other parts of England.
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About 2,000 people gathered to watch the proclamation of the monarch read in English and Welsh at Cardiff Castle.
Crowds also lined up in the Royal Mile to watch the ceremony at Mercat Cross in Edinburgh.
In Windsor, thousands gathered in the town to pay tribute to the Queen. Roads have been closed, as flowers and cards continue to be placed outside Windsor Castle gates, ahead of the local proclamation.
Image source, PA Media
In a sermon on Sunday the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said the Queen had taught more about “God and grace” than any other contemporary figure.
He told Canterbury Cathedral: “Her late Majesty taught us much, if not more, about God and grace, both in words and the actions that reinforce them, than any other contemporary figure.
“We remember her not for what she had, but for what she gave. What a precious blessing. How precious she was, therefore, to us and how keenly we feel her loss.”
Flags returned to half-mast at 13:00, having returned to full-mast on Saturday to coincide with the St James’s Palace proclamation of the new monarch.
The King will meet the Commonwealth Secretary General Baroness Scotland – who publicly represents the association of 56 countries with historical ties to the UK – at Buckingham Palace on Sunday afternoon.
He will later host a reception for High Commissioners – ambassadors – from the 14 other countries where he is also head of state, before meeting with the Dean of Windsor.
