As Queen Elizabeth II's four children walked silently behind, a hearse carried her flag-draped coffin along a crowd-lined street in the Scottish capital on Monday UK time to a cathedral, where a service of thanksgiving hailed the late monarch as a “constant in all of our lives for over 70 years.”
Four days after the 96-year-old queen died at her beloved Balmoral Castle in the Scottish Highlands, a military bagpiper played as her oak coffin, draped in the red-and-yellow Royal Standard of Scotland, was borne from the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh under late-summer sunshine.
King Charles III, dressed in army uniform, and Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward walked behind as the hearse traveled to St. Giles’ Cathedral, flanked by a bearer party of the Royal Regiment of Scotland and a detachment of the Royal Company of Archers, the king's ceremonial bodyguard in Scotland.
Inside, the coffin was placed on a wooden stand and topped with the golden Crown of Scotland, encrusted with 22 gems and 20 precious stones along with freshwater pearls from Scotland’s rivers.
“And so we gather to bid Scotland’s farewell to our late monarch, whose life of service to the nation and the world we celebrate. And whose love for Scotland was legendary,” said the Rev. Calum MacLeod.
Because the Queen died at her summer home of Balmoral, Scotland has been the focus of the world’s attention for the first part of Britain’s 10 days of national mourning.
Scenes of large crowds lining the route as her coffin journeyed south have underscored the deep bond between the queen and Scotland, which persisted even as relations between the Conservative UK government in London and the pro-independence administration in Edinburgh have soured.
In a homily, Church of Scotland Moderator Iain Greenshields said that “most of us cannot recall a time when she was not our monarch.”
But many in the British capital say they think the late monarch would have wanted life to go on as normal. (Source: 1News)
“Committed to the role she assumed in 1952 upon the death of her beloved father, she has been a constant in all of our lives for over 70 years,” he said. “She was determined to see her work as a form of service to others, and she maintained that steady course until the end of her life.
The coffin will remain at the cathedral until Tuesday evening UK time so members of the public can pay their respects. Thousands lined the 1 kilometre route between palace and cathedral, some arriving hours ahead of the service to catch a glimpse of the coffin.
“I just wanted to be here, just to show … last respects. I cannot believe she is dead,” said Marilyn Mclear, a 70-year-old retired teacher. “I know she was 96, but I just cannot believe the queen’s dead.”
One man appeared to shout angrily at the passing hearse, while others called out: “God save the king!” But the procession was greeted mostly with a respectful silence under a blue sky flecked with white clouds.
Charles, Anne and Edward all wore military uniforms during the procession, but Andrew did not. The Royal Navy veteran was stripped of his honorary military titles and was removed as a working royal over his friendship with the notorious US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Earlier, the queen's grandson, Prince Harry, hailed her as a “guiding compass” and praised her “unwavering grace and dignity."
The government, meanwhile, announced the nation will observe a minute of silence on Sunday, the evening before the queen's funeral. The “moment of reflection” will take place at 8pm (7am NZ time). People were encouraged to mark the silence at home or at community events.
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