Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh, is all about mourning the Queen. The new King Charles III. leads a procession with his mother’s coffin. His siblings Anne, Andrew and Edward are also part of the funeral procession, which is largely silent.
Before the remains of Queen Elizabeth II are to be taken from Edinburgh to London on Tuesday, numerous Scots bid farewell to the monarch at a funeral procession. King Charles III led a procession with the coffin on foot in the old town of the Scottish capital.
While heavy rain had fallen in Edinburgh on Sunday evening, the sun was shining on Monday. Thousands of Scots lined the path as Charles, alongside his siblings Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, walked behind the hearse.
The procession led from the royal residence, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, to St Giles Cathedral, just over a kilometer away, where a service was held. The closed coffin should remain there for around 24 hours so that the population can continue to say goodbye.
The coffin, wrapped in the royal standard, was carried to the hearse by eight kilt-clad soldiers. A bagpiper played at the beginning before the national anthem sounded. A guard escorted the car, which was moving at walking pace, to its destination. During the largely silent procession, cannon shots were repeatedly fired in honor of the dead monarch.
Prince Andrew was the only one of the Queen’s children not to wear a military uniform. Earlier this year, the Queen stripped him of all military ranks for his involvement in the abuse scandal surrounding the late US multi-millionaire Jeffrey Epstein. He had already lost his official role as representative of the royal family. Later in London, according to a report by the PA news agency, he was only allowed to wear a uniform on one single occasion during mourning ceremonies.
Charles had received expressions of condolence from MPs in London that morning. He and his wife, Queen Consort Camilla, were greeted with applause when they drove into Edinburgh city center in the afternoon. Thousands of people had gathered along the central Royal Mile since the morning hours.
Charles’ trip to Scotland, during which he will also receive Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon and also want to receive expressions of condolence in Parliament there, is part of “Operation Spring Tide”, which envisages visits by Charles as the new king to all four parts of the country. It’s Northern Ireland’s turn on Tuesday, and a visit to Wales is also planned.
The transfer of the Queen’s body by plane to London is also planned for Tuesday evening, where the deceased is to be laid out for several days. On Wednesday, Charles will also lead a funeral procession there, which is to lead from Buckingham Palace to Parliament. The coffin will then be laid out on a scaffold known as a catafalque in Westminster Hall from 5pm local time. Hundreds of thousands of mourners are expected to attend the wake. A Conservative MP even spoke of up to two million people on Monday.
Until the day of the funeral, the population has the opportunity to pay the Queen one last visit and say goodbye. The state funeral, to which Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier wants to travel for Germany, is scheduled for Monday, September 19th. The British get an extra holiday for this. Until then, national mourning applies, official events and parliamentary operations are suspended.
The government in London also called on the people of Great Britain to observe a minute’s silence for the Queen the day before the planned state funeral. The commemoration should take place on Sunday evening at 8 p.m. local time (9 p.m. German time).
The New Zealand government has meanwhile declared September 26 as a one-off public holiday. A week after the state funeral, the Pacific state wants to commemorate the monarch. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that a service would be held in Wellington Cathedral, which would also be televised.
New Zealand is one of the so-called Commonwealth Realms in which the Queen was head of state. A day after the proclamation ceremonies in London, Charles III. officially appointed the new head of state in New Zealand on Sunday. Queen Elizabeth II died on Thursday at her Scottish country estate, Balmoral Castle. She sat on the throne for over 70 years. She was 96 years old.
