They came in their thousands, from far-away countries and the village next door. Some came with tears, some with smiles, but all with arms full of flowers and hearts full of love.
The fields of bouquets spread around the gates of Balmoral Castle yesterday as crowds paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth at her much-loved bolthole on Royal Deeside.
Yesterday, senior royals left the castle to attend a service at nearby Crathie Kirk and, when they returned, read the messages on the floral tributes.
The granddaughters, along with Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, Princess Beatrice, Lady Louise Windsor and Peter Philips stopped to look at the flowers after attending a private service at Crathie Kirk. The crowd of well-wishers broke out into a round of applause as the royals thanked them and waved.
The Duke of York, flanked by his daughters Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, thanked well-wishers for lining the route back to Balmoral.
Asked by a mourner how things were, Andrew said: “We’ve been allowed one day, now we start the process of handing her on.” He added: “It’s nice to see you, thank you for coming.”
The Earl of Wessex, accompanied by his wife who was holding hands with their daughter Lady Louise, also thanked well-wishers.
Queues to lay flowers had grown steadily during the day after an overspill carpark was needed at Monaltrie Park in nearby Ballater, where King Charles has often attended the Ballater Highland Games. From there, buses ferried the crowds to the castle as pipers provided a fitting soundtrack.
At Balmoral they queued, patiently, as they crossed the stone bridge over a sun-dappled River Dee. Elderly ladies leaning on canes, mothers with daughters, fathers with sons, parents juggling toddlers and arms overflowing with blooms, each one moved by the nation’s loss and the end of the second Elizabethan Age.
Mary Taylor, 84, from Aberdeen, who worked for many years at His Majesty’s Theatre in the Granite City was on board a bus to Balmoral with her daughter, Aberdeen primary school teacher Fiona Shearer, 56, and her medical student granddaughter Hannah Shearer, 18.
She told The Sunday Post: “I loved the Queen and I am heartbroken. I used to go to see her at Crathie Church when she was attending services. She was a wonderful monarch and will stay in our hearts always. It was important to me to be here today.”
Her daughter said: “We have always followed the Queen and all of the monarchy and we wanted to support my mum today.” Hannah, who met Prince William and his wife Kate at Glasgow University earlier this year, added: “It was wonderful to meet them. We shook hands. We are here today to for my grandma but also in a show of support to the royal family.”
Katie Johnston, 41, from Ellon, who works in oil and gas, said: “The Queen reminds you of your granny, such a lovely lady. I’m sad to say that despite living in Aberdeenshire I’ve never before been to Balmoral. But it wanted to be here today – my first day and her last at Balmoral.”
Diane Scourgie, 50, an administration manager from Stonehaven, said: “I have been very sad and emotional since her death was announced. She has been Queen for all of my life. I wanted to come and pay my respects.”
Scott Donald, 53, a chartered accountant from Aberdeen, was with his son Oliver, 17. “My granny used to take us to Crathie Church to see the Queen, and we used to see the royal family at the Braemar Gathering. The Queen has always been there for us. She was such a great supporter of Britain.”
His son said: “Queen Elizabeth was as relevant and relatable to young people as she was to the older generation because of her experience in life. She was interested in so much. And she was cool, her James Bond sketch for the Olympics was amazing.”
Mark Lindley-Highfield, 47, a lecturer with the Highlands and Islands University travelled from Inverness to pay his respects and dressed for the occasion looking dapper in a top hat.
An armiger who holds a coat of arms granted in the Queen’s name, he told The Sunday Post: “Her Majesty has given us such long and dedicated service. Coming here today to pay my respects is a tiny drop in the ocean when compared to every second and hour she has given to us.”
Fighting emotion and comforted by her project manager partner Jonathan Bird, 46, Pamela Wood, 50, a PA from Peterculter, near Aberdeen, said: “I am so saddened. The Queen was beautiful inside and out. She will be so much missed but will be forever in our hearts.”
Ross Gordon, 59, from Peterhead, remembered a visit to Buckingham Palace aged 14 to see his late father Lewis Gordon receive an MBE for his service in the RAF and to the Peterhead Air Training Corps. He said: “What we see here today is the immense respect that people had for the Queen. That respect cannot be bought, it can only be earned, and she earned it.”
Christian Wirhs, 53, was on a group holiday in Scotland from Denmark and decided to make a detour to Balmoral to pay homage to the Queen. Wirhs, who works in construction, said: “The whole world knows the Queen and what a rock she was in so many things. We wanted to pay our respects.”
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