It is a journey, from her Aberdeenshire home to her official residence in the capital, that Queen Elizabeth II has made many times. Today, she will make it for the last time.
Her cortege will begin the 100-mile journey at 10am before making its way through Royal Deeside towards Aberdeen. Police Scotland said it expects tens of thousands of Scots to pay their respects along the route from Balmoral to Edinburgh.
The journey would usually take around three hours but is expected to take six. Huge crowds are also expected tomorrow in the capital where the Royal Mile was being prepared yesterday.
After resting overnight in the throne room at the Palace of Holyroodhouse – the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland – the Queen’s coffin will be carried to the cortege by six of her gamekeepers then taken up the Royal Mile to St Giles’ Cathedral where she will lie at rest for 24 hours. It is expected the public will be allowed to view her coffin.
© PAKing Charles III is expected to arrive in Edinburgh tomorrow to join the procession along the Royal Mile to St Giles’. He will be joined by Liz Truss as he leads “services of reflection” around the United Kingdom. Members of the royal family are also expected to attend the church to hold a poignant vigil – known as the Vigil of the Princes – around the coffin.
Reverend Calum MacLeod, minister at St Giles’, said “the congregation cherishes its long and historic relationship with the Queen and the royal family”, adding: “As the nation mourns a beloved sovereign, the congregation gives thanks for her life of service rooted in her abiding faith. We pray for the King and members of the royal family in these days of loss and look forward to continuing our relationship with them into a bright future.”
On Tuesday, Princess Anne will accompany her mother’s coffin as it is flown by Royal Air Force jet from Edinburgh to RAF Northolt in London. It will then rest in the throne room at Buckingham Palace before being moved to Westminster Hall on Wednesday to lie in state for four days. The funeral, to be held a week tomorrow, will be the first state funeral since the death of Winston Churchill in 1965. Edinburgh has been gearing up for days for one of the biggest global events to be staged on the city’s streets as it prepares to become the focal point of mourning. A table was set up yesterday outside Holyrood Palace where security guards were cutting plastic from bunches of flowers so that people could lay them on the ground. Stewards and police officers said it was for environmental reasons and to make it easier to replant the flowers later on.
Barriers lined the Royal Mile where council workers used a crane to remove a traffic cone from the statue of Adam Smith, opposite St Giles’. A number of city centre schools will close tomorrow and Tuesday. Bins have been removed from the Royal Mile with people urged to take litter home. Further proclamations of the Queen’s death and the accession of a new King will be made by the Lord Lyon today at the city’s Mercat Cross in Parliament Square at noon and at Edinburgh Castle at 12.30pm.
Former counter-terrorism national co-ordinator Nick Aldworth said Operation Unicorn and Operation London Bridge, the funeral plan for Queen Elizabeth II covering both England and Scotland, had been years in the making. He added: “It is going to be potentially the largest policing operation that the Met has ever put on. The first time I saw Operation London Bridge was about 20 years ago and it existed before that. It has been planned and reviewed thoroughly.”
He called for patience when paying respects as public safety would be the highest priority, adding: “It should work smoothly and effectively. The problem we have got is that we live in a dangerous world and uncertain times.
“The only reference point we have is the death of Princess Diana and of Her Majesty the Queen Mother. They took place in very different times – 1997 and 2002. We didn’t have the same sort of mobilised terrorist community inside the country that we have now.”
After leaving Balmoral this morning, the cortege is expected to reach Ballater shortly after 10am. It will then make its way to Aberdeen via Aboyne, Banchory and Drumoak, arriving at around 11am, and then on to Dundee for around 2pm. It is expected to arrive at Holyrood at 4pm. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and other party leaders will gather at the Scottish Parliament to observe the coffin passing. Last night, Sturgeon said: “Her Majesty’s death at Balmoral Castle means Scotland has lost one of its most dedicated and beloved servants. The grief we have seen across the world has been profound and deeply touching.
“This is a chance for people to gather together publicly and begin to mark our country’s shared loss. It will be especially poignant to see Her Majesty’s coffin begin its journey from her Aberdeenshire home to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.”
© Jane Barlow / PARoad closures in the capital include Carrington Road at Crewe Road South, Carrington Road at East Fettes Avenue and Queens Drive east of the roundabout at Holyrood Park.
Roadworks around Edinburgh have also been postponed. The M8 junction 3A bridge refurbishment, M90 gantry repairs, A1 footway improvements at Thorntonloch, East Lothian, and resurfacing work at the A720 City Bypass Hermiston Gait eastbound off-slip will all be rescheduled.
Council leader Cammy Day said: “Our city is highly experienced in handling major events, and we are working to safely accommodate the large crowds of visitors who will wish to pay their respects to the Queen and royal family over the next few days. Given the scale and significance of these ceremonial events, we have to be prepared for significant disruption across the city, but particularly in the city centre.”
Police Scotland Deputy Chief Constable Malcolm Graham said: “We understand the public will want to show their respects to Her Majesty and we urge them to do so safely. Please do not leave your vehicle at the side of the road as this poses a risk to public safety.”
Traffic Scotland operator manager Stein Connelly called it an event of unprecedented scale, adding: “Every effort will be made to minimise disruption to the travelling public, but significant delays are expected.”
Mourners have been asked to give floral tributes to wardens at the entrance to the Queen’s Gallery at Holyrood Palace. Flowers will then be laid on the grass in front of the North Turret.
Meanwhile, one visitor to the Palace of Holyroodhouse yesterday left a copy of Michael Bond’s book Paddington At The Rainbow’s End. A note written on it said simply: “One last story Ma’am. X”
Another well-wisher left a marmalade sandwich inside a plastic bag next to a stuffed Paddington toy at the gates, nods to the Queen’s sketch with the children’s character for her Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June.
The days ahead
Today
The Queen’s coffin will be driven by hearse from Balmoral to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh. The Queen will lie at rest in the throne room. There will be simultaneous proclamations at noon in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In Scotland, the Lord Lyon King of Arms, a heraldic official, will make a formal proclamation of the Queen’s death and the accession of King Charles III to the throne at the Mercat Cross in Edinburgh’s Parliament Square at noon and the Castle at 12.30pm.
Tomorrow
King Charles III will arrive in Scotland where he will join the ceremonial procession as the Queen’s coffin is taken along Edinburgh’s Royal Mile to St Giles’ Cathedral. The King will visit the Scottish Parliament for the first time as monarch.
A service will be held and senior royals are expected to stand guard around the coffin, a tradition known as the Vigil of the Princes. Members of the public will be able to file past the coffin. A motion of condolence is expected at Westminster.
The King will begin a week of visits around Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Tuesday
The Queen’s coffin is expected to be flown to London to rest in the throne room at Buckingham Palace.
A rehearsal for the ceremonial procession will be held in the city.
Wednesday
The first major ceremony will take place in London as the Queen’s coffin is taken on a gun carriage from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall to lie in state.
Members of the royal family will attend a short service in Westminster Hall.
At some point, senior members of the royal family will stand guard around the coffin in another Vigil of the Princes.
Thursday
The Queen will continue to lie in state at Westminster Hall where large crowds are expected.
Friday
The King will continue visits around the nations of the UK and meetings in London. Foreign heads of state will begin to arrive for the funeral.
Saturday
The lying in state ends before the funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday, September 19 before the Queen is laid to rest at St George’s Chapel, Windsor.
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