The newly proclaimed King Charles III walked behind his mother Elizabeth II’s coffin along Edinburgh’s famous Royal Mile this afternoon.
After addressing around 1,200 people, including members of both houses of Parliament, the Commons and the Lords, the King and Camilla, the Queen Consort flew back to Scotland, where they were with the Queen when she died last Friday afternoon. Around 1pm, the King took part in the Ceremony of the Keys at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, in which he was given the keys to the city, and then he and other members of the Royal Family walked behind the Queen’s coffin as it was taken along the Royal Mile to St Giles’ Cathedral.
Alongside Charles, Princess Anne, Princes Andrew and Edward, and Princess Anne’s husband Vice-Admiral Sir Tim Laurence also walked behind the hearse carrying the coffin. It was flanked by members of the ceremonial military unit the King’s Body Guard for Scotland (Royal Company of Archers), and wrapped in a flag quartered with the royal standard of Scotland. On top of the coffin was a wreath including dried white heather from Balmoral.
The coffin arrived in the city yesterday, and the Queen will now lie at rest at St Giles’ for 24 hours, during which members of the public will be able to pay their respects. The public also lined the route of the Queen’s coffin in crowds dozens deep, as people waited to see the procession pass. At 5:30pm, a motion of condolence attended by the King will be heard in the chamber of the Scottish Parliament, to which the King will respond. Then, at 7:20pm the new King and the Queen’s other children will post a vigil around the coffin at the Cathedral.
On Tuesday, the Queen’s coffin will be flown from Edinburgh Airport to RAF Brize Norton, to arrive in London at Buckingham Palace around 7pm. On Wednesday, it will be moved to Westminster Hall, part of the complex that comprises the Houses of Parliament, where it will lie in state for four days. Queues to file past the Queen’s coffin are expected to reach up to 20 hours long.
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