EDINBURGH — The coffin carrying Queen Elizabeth II on its last voyage arrived in the Scottish capital Edinburgh on Sunday following a six-hour procession from the rural residence where she died, Balmoral Castle. A large throng lined central Edinburgh’s Royal Mile to see the hearse as it slowly made its way to its first stop, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Scottish capital’s royal palace, where the queen’s body would laid tonight.
Under dark skies, locals, visitors, and tourists thronged the city’s major streets to pay their respects to a king who had a profound affection for Scotland. The convoy of seven vehicles, led by a motorcycle outrider, received some applause as it drove through central Edinburgh, though the mood was respectful and generally sombre. At the palace, the procession was greeted by a guard of honour, and military bearers carried the coffin to the palace’s throne room.
The oak casket, wrapped in a royal banner, was carried by six gamekeepers from the ballroom at the Balmoral estate, where the queen spent her summer holidays and had a deep and enduring devotion. The queen’s departure from Balmoral, a lonely enclave in the beautiful Scottish countryside, marked the beginning of a time in which Britons will be allowed to pay their respects to her before her funeral on Sept. 19 at Westminster Abbey in London. World leaders are likely to attend the burial; the White House said on Sunday that President Biden and the first lady had accepted an invitation.
After leaving Balmoral, the procession went through small villages and larger cities, where people lined the streets to catch a sight of the queen’s wreath-covered coffin. A few people dropped flowers in the path of the cars as the community paid its silent and solemn homage. The hearse travelled from Balmoral via Aberdeen, Dundee, and Perth before arriving around 4 p.m. The fact that the queen spent her final days in Balmoral highlighted her deep ties to Scotland, which will be the focal point of national grief for two days.
Members of the royal family are expected to accompany the coffin as it is carried up the Royal Mile to neighbouring St. Giles’ Cathedral on Monday morning. After a religious ceremony, the queen’s casket will repose to allow people to pay their respects. It will be flown to London on Tuesday, when Britons will have further opportunity to say goodbye to their monarch before her burial.
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