What’s next for the British monarchy?
Edinburgh, Scotland — In a sober and regal procession, Queen Elizabeth II’s flag-draped coffin was led slowly through the Scottish countryside on Sunday from her beloved Balmoral Castle to the Scottish capital of Edinburgh. Mourners packed city streets and highway bridges or rural roads lined with cars and tractors to take part in a historic farewell to the monarch who had reigned for 70 years.
The hearse drove past piles of bouquets and other tributes as he led a seven-car cortege from Balmoral, where the Queen died on Thursday aged 96, on a six-hour journey through Scottish towns to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. The late Queen’s coffin was draped in the Royal Standard for Scotland and topped with a wreath made of the estate’s flowers, including sweet peas, one of the Queen’s favourites.
The queen’s casket made a tortuous journey back to the capital. After being brought to London on Tuesday, the coffin will be moved from Buckingham Palace on Wednesday to the Houses of Parliament to lie in state until a state funeral at Westminster Abbey on September 19. The White House said on Sunday that President Biden had formally accepted an invitation to attend the funeral, and would be accompanied by First Lady Jill Biden.
The procession was a huge event for Scotland, as the United Kingdom takes days to mourn its longest-serving monarch, the only one most Britons have ever known. People came hours early to take up space near police barricades in Edinburgh. In the afternoon, the crowd was 10 people deep in places.
“I think she’s always been a constant in my life. She was the queen I was born under, and she’s always been there,” said Angus Ruthven, a 54-year-old civil servant from Edinburgh. “I think it’s going to take a lot to adjust that she’s not here. It’s a pretty sudden thing.”
Silence fell on the packed Royal Mile in Edinburgh as the hearse carrying the Queen arrived. But as the convoy disappeared from view, the crowd spontaneously began to applaud.
When the hearse arrived at Holyroodhouse, members of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, wearing green tartan kilts, carried the pall in front of the Queen’s three youngest children – Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward – and in the throne room, where he should stay until Monday afternoon so that the staff can pay their last respects.
King Charles III and his Queen Consort Camilla will travel to Edinburgh on Monday to join another solemn procession carrying the Queen’s coffin to St Giles’ Cathedral on the city’s Royal Mile. There, the coffin will remain for 24 hours so the Scottish public can pay their respects before returning to London on Tuesday.
The first village the procession passed through was Ballater, where the residents consider the royal family as neighbors. Hundreds of people watched in silence and some threw flowers in front of the hearse. “She meant a lot to the people in this area. People were crying, it was amazing to see,” said Victoria Pacheco, a guest house manager.
In every Scottish town and village, the entourage was greeted with silent scenes of respect. People were mostly silent; some clapped politely, others pointed their cell phone cameras at passing cars. In Aberdeenshire, farmers line the road with a guard of honor of tractors.
On the way, the court passed through places steeped in the history of the House of Windsor. Those include Dyce, where in 1975 the Queen formally opened the UK’s first North Sea oil pipeline, and Fife, near the University of St. Andrews, where his grandson Prince William, now the Prince of Wales, studied and met his future wife, Catherine. .
Sunday’s solemn action came when the Queen’s eldest son was formally proclaimed the new monarch – King Charles III – in the rest of the nations of the United Kingdom: Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It came a day after a pompous accession ceremony in England.
“I am very aware of this great legacy and the heavy duties and responsibilities of sovereignty, which have now passed to me,” Charles said Saturday.
Shortly before the proclamation was read out in Edinburgh on Sunday, a protester appeared with a sign condemning imperialism and urging leaders to “abolish the monarchy”. She was taken away by the police. The reaction was mixed. One man shouted, “Let her go! It’s free speech!” while others shouted: “Have some respect!”
Still, there was some booing in Edinburgh when Joseph Morrow, Lord Lion King of Arms, ended his proclamation with the words “God save the King!”
Ann Hamilton, 48, said she thought the booing was “absolutely awful”.
“There are tens of thousands of people here today to show their respect. For them to be there, going through things, I think it was terrible. If they were so against it, they would not have come,” he said.
However, it was a sign of how some, including Britain’s former colonies, are struggling with the legacy of the monarchy.
First, proclamations were read in other parts of the Commonwealth, including Australia and New Zealand.
Charles, even while he was mourning his late mother, had come to work in Buckingham Palace, meeting with the secretary general and other representatives of the Commonwealth. Many in these nations are struggling with affection for the queen and lingering bitterness over her colonial legacies, which ranged from outright slavery to corporal punishment in African schools to looted artefacts held in British cultural institutions.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who had begun laying the foundations for an Australian republic after the May election, said on Sunday that now was the time not for change, but to pay tribute to the late queen.
India, a former British colony, observed a day of state mourning, with flags lowered to half-staff in all government buildings.
Amidst the grief that enveloped the House of Windsor, there were hints of a possible family reconciliation. Prince William and his brother Harry, along with their respective wives, Catherine, Princess of Wales, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, delighted mourners near Windsor Castle with a surprise joint appearance on Saturday.
In Ballater, the Reverend David Barr said locals regarded the royal family as neighbours.
“When she comes here, and walks through those doors, I believe the real part of her is mostly outside,” he said. “And when she came in, she was able to be a wife, a loving wife, a loving mother, a loving grandmother and then later a great lover – and aunt – and be normal.”
Elizabeth Taylor, from Aberdeen, had tears in her eyes after the hearse carrying the Queen’s coffin passed through Ballater.
“It was very emotional. It was respectful and showed what they think of the queen,” he said. “He certainly gave service to this country, even until a few days before his death.”
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The Duke of Sussex will join the rest of the royal family amid concerns over Queen Elizabeth’s health.
How will the Queens coffin travel from Scotland to London?
From Edinburgh, the late queen will be transported to London, where she will lie in state for about four days in Westminster Hall. His iron will be carried by a gun carriage of the King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, which has also carried the tailor of the Queen Mother and Margaret Thatcher, the former prime minister.
How often does the Queen go to Balmoral? At the end of each summer, Queen Elizabeth makes her annual pilgrimage north to Scotland for a week-long multi-day holiday at Balmoral Castle.
What time is queen arriving in Edinburgh?
Just after 2 p.m. local time, the procession carrying the queen’s coffin resumed its journey to Edinburgh, where it is expected to arrive around 4 pm, the BBC reported. Thousands of people have already started lining the streets of the Scottish capital, where local officials expect crowds to grow.
Has the Queens coffin left Balmoral yet?
The Queen’s coffin leaves Scotland’s Balmoral Castle Draped in the Royal Standard, Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin left Balmoral Castle to begin its journey to Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It is the first time his coffin has been seen since his death on Thursday.
What will be in the Queen’s coffin?
Soldiers who have served the royal family will guard the Queen’s coffin, which will carry the Imperial State Crown, orb and scepter at the top. Monday, the day of the Queen’s funeral, which has been declared a public holiday in the United Kingdom.
What time did the royal family arrive at Balmoral?
The four then traveled by car to the Queen’s Balmoral estate, a journey of around 73 miles. BBC Scotland reporter Linda Sinclair said they arrived at Balmoral Castle at 5:11pm.
Where is the Queen’s coffin today?
The Queen’s carriage arrived at Holyroodhouse, the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. The coffin will spend the night there and tomorrow it will be taken to St Giles Cathedral.
What Royals are still at Balmoral?
While King Charles and his sons Prince William and Prince Harry left Balmoral yesterday, the rest of Queen Elizabeth’s family stayed, with a few who joined in late. Princess Eugenie, dressed in black, arrives for a service at Crathie Kirk.
Where is the coffin of Queen Elizabeth now?
The Queen’s carriage arrived at Holyroodhouse, the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. The coffin will spend the night there and tomorrow it will be taken to St Giles Cathedral.
Who carried Queen Elizabeth’s coffin? The late Queen’s coffin was draped in the Royal Standard for Scotland and topped with a wreath made of the estate’s flowers, including sweet peas, one of the Queen’s favourites. Members of the Royal Regiment of Scotland carried the tailor past the Queen’s only daughter, Princess Anne, and into the throne room.
What happens to Queen coffin?
Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin will be lowered into the Royal Vault, a burial chamber that currently holds 25 members of the royal family. However, their final resting place will be in the King George VI memorial chapel, where Prince Philip will also be moved so they can lie to rest together.
Where is Queen Elizabeth’s coffin now?
The Queen’s coffin was taken from Balmoral Castle, where she died on Thursday, to Edinburgh on Sunday. On Monday, she was taken to St Giles Cathedral, where a service will be attended by King Charles III and members of the royal family.
What is the journey of the Queen’s coffin?
The queen’s casket made a tortuous journey back to the capital. After being flown to London on Tuesday, the coffin will be moved from Buckingham Palace on Wednesday to the Houses of Parliament to lie in state until a state funeral at Westminster Abbey on September 19.
Has the Queen’s coffin left Balmoral?
The Queen’s coffin leaves Scotland’s Balmoral Castle Draped in the Royal Standard, Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin left Balmoral Castle to begin its journey to Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It is the first time his coffin has been seen since his death on Thursday.
Has the Queen’s coffin arrived in Edinburgh?
Queen Elizabeth’s coffin arrived in Edinburgh after a six-hour journey from her summer home in the Scottish Highlands, past tens of thousands of mourners. The trip from Balmoral was the first in a series of events leading up to the state funeral at Westminster Abbey in London on September 19.
How will the Queens coffin be taken to London?
The Serb will be taken in procession on Wednesday to Westminster Hall in the Palace of Westminster, the oldest surviving section of where Parliament meets, where from Thursday he will lie in state for four days while members of the public pay their respects. I respect you.
Where is Queen Elizabeth’s coat of arms now? The Queen’s coffin was taken from Balmoral Castle, where she died on Thursday, to Edinburgh on Sunday. On Monday, she was taken to St Giles Cathedral, where a service will be attended by King Charles III and members of the royal family.
Has the Queen’s coffin left Balmoral?
The Queen’s coffin leaves Scotland’s Balmoral Castle Draped in the Royal Standard, Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin left Balmoral Castle to begin its journey to Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It is the first time his coffin has been seen since his death on Thursday.
Has the Queen’s coffin arrived in Edinburgh?
Queen Elizabeth’s coffin arrived in Edinburgh after a six-hour journey from her summer home in the Scottish Highlands, past tens of thousands of mourners. The trip from Balmoral was the first in a series of events leading up to the state funeral at Westminster Abbey in London on September 19.
What will happen to Queens coffin?
Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin will be lowered into the Royal Vault, a burial chamber that currently holds 25 members of the royal family. However, their final resting place will be in the King George VI memorial chapel, where Prince Philip will also be moved so they can lie to rest together.
What is the journey of the Queen’s coffin?
The queen’s casket made a tortuous journey back to the capital. After being flown to London on Tuesday, the coffin will be moved from Buckingham Palace on Wednesday to the Houses of Parliament to lie in state until a state funeral at Westminster Abbey on September 19.
