From the royal residence Palace of Holyroodhouse, where the coffin was laid out for around 24 hours, the procession with King Charles III. to St. Giles Cathedral. There, the monarch, his wife Queen Camilla and other royals attend a service. Afterwards, the Scots have the opportunity to say goodbye to the Queen in the church.
The monarch will also receive Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon in Edinburgh. He and his wife Camilla also want to receive expressions of condolence in the Scottish Parliament, following they wanted to do so in Parliament in London in the morning. His trip to Scotland is part of Operation Spring Tide, which sees visits by Charles as the new king to all four parts of Britain.
On Sunday, a hearse brought the coffin with the monarch from her country estate at Balmoral Castle in the Highlands, where the 96-year-old died on Thursday, to the Scottish capital of Edinburgh. There the convoy was met by crowds and an honor guard. Charles had previously spoken of his mother’s “last great trip”.
In villages and towns, crowds of people silently lined the streets. Some cried, some threw flowers on the street as the column rolled by at a slow pace. Spontaneous applause and cheers also erupted on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. In the followingnoon the convoy reached the Royal Residence Palace of Holyroodhouse. Her daughter, Princess Anne, had accompanied the coffin in another car, and the Queen’s sons, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, were on the spot upon arrival.
The transfer by plane to London is planned for Tuesday, where the deceased is to be laid out for several days. From Wednesday (5 p.m. local time) the coffin with the body will be on a so-called catafalque – a kind of plateau – in Westminster Hall of the London Parliament building. Hundreds of thousands of mourners are expected.
The British government recommends that mourners bring weatherproof clothing, enough provisions, a mobile phone power bank and a lot of patience. Until the day of the state funeral on September 19, the British public will have 24 hours a day to pay their Queen one last visit and say goodbye. However, a lot of time must be planned for this. “You have to stand for many hours, probably overnight, with little opportunity to sit down because the line will continue to move,” says the Ministry of Culture’s information on the processes. You should think twice regarding bringing children. Roadblocks and disruptions to the transport network are also to be expected.
The state funeral, to which Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen also wants to travel, is scheduled for September 19. The British get an extra holiday for this. Until then, national mourning applies, official events and parliamentary operations are suspended.
