Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin already lies in St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, where thousands of people will be able to say goodbye to the monarch who passed away on Thursday.
It is the second leg of the Queen’s last journey, who died on Thursday at the age of 96, which will culminate with a state funeral on 19 September at Westminster Abbey in London. Her coffin was moved from Balmoral Castle, where he died, to Edinburgh on Sunday.
His coffin was transferred Monday in a funeral procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The first burning chapel with the monarch’s mortal remains will remain open for 24 hours in the Scottish capital’s cathedral, after which it will travel to London.
The Queen’s four children, King Charles III, Princess Anne, Andrew, Duke of York and Edward, Earl of Wessex, accompanied the transfer of the coffin from Holyroodhouse Palace to St. Giles Cathedral on foot. Walking with them was Ana’s husband, Vice Admiral Tim Lawrence.
Behind them, in the car, were the queen consort Camilla and Edward’s wife, Sofia, Countess of Wessex.
The funeral procession started from the Palace of Holyroodhouse, arriving on Sunday from Balmoral Castle. He was accompanied by the Royal Company of Archers, a ceremonial unit of the Scottish Royal Guard.
Thousands of people crowded the streets of central Edinburgh to watch the monarch’s funeral procession pass. Many of them waited hours for a good place to say goodbye to Elizabeth II. Many applauded as the procession passed.
The procession took half an hour to complete the journey. In it, Prince Andrew was seen dressed in a civilian suit and not a military uniform, as he lost his military honors earlier this year shortly before reaching an economic settlement in the civil sexual assault lawsuit brought against him. him in the United States.
The casket was adorned with fresh flowers collected at Balmoral, including roses, freesias and rosemary.
The coffin is covered with the Royal Standard of Scotland, a flag representing the monarch.
Unlike the royal banner used in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and elsewhere, the royal banner of Scotland features two dials for Scotland instead of just one.
Those dials consist of a golden banner with the Scottish red lion.
It is hoisted at the Palace of Holyroodhouse and Balmoral Castle when the monarch is not present. When they are in residence, the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom is raised in their place.
The coffin was placed on a bier in St. Giles’ Cathedral, where the Scots will be able to pay their respects until Tuesday, when Elizabeth II’s remains will be flown to London.
In St. Giles Cathedral, King Charles III and the rest of the royal family, as well as other officials and dignitaries, including British Prime Minister Liz Truss and Scottish Prime Minister Nicholas Sturgeon, attended a mass in honor of the monarch deceased.
After an hour of church service, thousands of Scots are expected to say goodbye to the queen.
The arrival of the procession for the Queen’s final farewell in London is scheduled for Tuesday 13 September.
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