Casket bearers carry the coffin of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth as the hearse arrives at Holyroodhouse Palace in Edinburgh, Scotland, September 11, 2022.
Alkis Konstannidis | Reuters
Queen Elizabeth’s coffin arrived in Edinburgh on Sunday after a six-hour journey from her summer home in the Scottish Highlands, in front of tens of thousands of mourners lining the route, many in silence upset, some clapped and others shed tears.
Just after 10 a.m. (0900 GMT), a hearse carrying Elizabeth’s oak coffin emerged from the gates of Balmoral Castle, where she died on Thursday at the age of 96, at the start of a slow drive to the Scottish capital.
The coffin was set to Scottish Royal standards with a wreath on top made of flowers from the Balmoral region including sweet peas, one of Elizabeth’s favorites.
Crowds, 15 places deep, thronged central Edinburgh to greet the pony, which included the queen’s daughter, Princess Anne, as it made its way to Holyroodhouse Palace, where it was met by a honor guard.
Soldiers from the Royal Scottish Regiment then carried the coffin to the palace’s throne room, where it would be kept overnight.
“There’s no way I could miss this. I’ll regret it for life,” said Eilidh Mackintosh, 62, who left home at 6am to ensure a nice view on Edinburgh’s famous Royal Mile. where a lot of people pass by. are gathering.
“She never let us down and I don’t want to let her down. Now her passing is a big hole in the hearts of the nation.”
The journey from Balmoral is the first in a series of events leading up to a state funeral at Westminster Abbey in London on September 19.
People watch a hearse carrying the coffin of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, at The Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland. September 11, 2022.
Lee Smith | Reuters
In an emotional tribute to his mother on Friday, the new monarch, King Charles, said she had embarked on a “last great journey” to join Prince Philip, husband of 73 Her age passed away last year.
Her death has been followed by tears, sadness and warm remembrance, not only from the Queen’s close family and many in the UK, but also from around the world – a reflection of her presence. She was on the world stage for seven decades.
Wherever the train passed as it passed through the countryside, villages, small towns and picturesque cities, people lined up along the way or stopped to get out and watch. At one point, it passed an honor guard made up of dozens of tractors lined up in the adjacent fields of farmers.
Many people watched quietly under the bright sunlight. Some threw flowers on the street. For others, the emotion of the moment moved them to tears. “I’m so glad I’m here to say our goodbyes,” said Elizabeth Alexander, 69, who was born on the day of the Queen’s coronation in 1953.
Many thousands continue to gather at other royal palaces across England, and large piles of flowers are pouring in as people visit to pay their respects.
Charles became king immediately upon his mother’s death and was officially named the new monarch in a ceremony on Saturday, filled with contests and age-old traditions.
Similar claims are taking place across the UK and the 14 other kingdoms of which Charles is now head of state, including Australia, Canada, Jamaica, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said parliament would convene on Thursday to allow members to pay their respects.
The Queen ascended the throne following the death of her father King George VI on February 6, 1952, when she was just 25 years old. Her coronation took place a year later.
Although Elizabeth’s death was not entirely unexpected given her age and declining health, there was still a sense of shock at the news.
“We all thought she was invincible,” her grandson, Prince William, now heir to the throne, told a wise man on Saturday while meeting a crowd at the palace. Windsor radio.
Funeral
Officials have announced that the day of Elizabeth’s funeral will be a public holiday in the UK. US President Joe Biden has said he will be there, although full details about the event and attendees have yet to be released.
Before that, her coffin will be taken to London and there will be a mourning procession when it is then moved from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, where it will lie in its original state for four days.
Prime Minister’s spokesman Liz Truss told reporters: “It goes without saying that we can expect a large number of people.
Truss, who was appointed prime minister on Tuesday as the queen’s last public act, will join King Charles as the new head of state and prime minister on a four-nation tour of the Kingdom. You in the next few days.
Charles, 73, is now the 41st king in a line descended from the Norman King William the Conqueror, who seized the English throne in 1066.
Elizabeth’s death dragged on a difficult few years for the royal family.
The most famous issue concerns her grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, who gave up royal life in 2020 to move to California, where both are heavily critical of the institution.
That has alienated them from the rest of the family, with Harry and his brother William said to have barely spoken on terms. But the death of their grandmother put their differences aside, as they appeared with their wives outside Windsor Castle to meet the crowds on Saturday.
A royal source described it as an important show of solidarity at a very difficult time for the family.
