queen's coffin journey scotland

Queen's final Scottish journey charts a life of service

• Published 11 September 2022

Queen Elizabeth II left her beloved Balmoral for the final time on Sunday on a journey that stirred memories of her life of service.

Her cortege wended its way through villages and towns she knew well. It skirted cities where she opened hospitals, congratulated business leaders, met schoolchildren and greeted well-wishers.

As well as the villages of Aberdeenshire, where she was considered a neighbour as much as a monarch, it travelled through Aberdeen, then south through Angus, Dundee, Perth and Fife .

Symbolically, Her Majesty's coffin was taken over Queensferry Crossing - a structure she opened in 2017.

Along this journey to her final resting place were the visible signs of the role she played in shaping modern Scotland.

Royal Deeside - Church and community

After the Royal cortege left Balmoral it passed close to Crathie Kirk - the church where the Royal family have worshipped since Queen Victoria in 1848.

It was an important place to Queen Elizabeth, a woman of great faith. Just last weekend she hosted the Rt Rev Dr Iain Greenshields, the moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

He said she was "obviously frail...[but] absolutely on the ball" , adding that she was "very much very engaged with what was happening in the church and what was happening in the nation too".

It was also a link to the local community, which included the nearby village of Ballater, where she was considered a local by many.

After flooding caused millions of pounds worth of damage in 2015, the late Queen later met residents affected in an official visit and praised local efforts to recover.

Aberdeen and Dundee - Industry and innovation

The coffin was driven along the A93 towards Aberdeen, before turning south and crossing the King George VI bridge, named after her father.

The city was the focus of many trips by the Queen. It was where she opened a children's hospital in 2005 and hosted a special sitting of the Scottish Parliament in 2002.

But it was perhaps her actions in Dyce in 1975 which had the most profound effect on the city - she pressed a gold-plated button which formally began the operation of the UK's first oil pipeline.

The 130-mile pipeline from Cruden Bay to Grangemouth served the Forties oilfield 110 miles east of Aberdeen.

It marked the beginning of a North Sea oil industry which brought thousands of new jobs and great prosperity to the north-east of Scotland.

However, faced with a climate emergency and an energy crisis, Europe's oil capital is looking towards renewable sources of energy.

Heading south on the A90, the coffin took in the Kingsway - designed to commemorate Edward VII - through Dundee.

During a trip to the city in 2016, the Queen met apprentices at the Michelin tyre factory's training school and workshop.

However, two years later the company announced the closure of the site, with the loss of 850 jobs.

More than 300 million tyres had been produced in the plant, which opened in 1971. It finally closed in June 2020 and is now an "innovation centre".

Angus - Childhood memories

Between Aberdeen and Dundee, the Royal coffin travelled along the A90, skirting the Angus town of Forfar.

Nearby is Glamis Castle, the ancestral home of the late Queen's maternal grandparents and a place where she is said to have spent many happy childhood holidays.

It was where her parents honeymooned and where her mother, Queen Elizabeth, gave birth to her sister, Princess Margaret in 1930.

Past Perth, the coffin travelled through Fife - a short hop from St Andrews where the late Queen's grandson William went to university and met his future wife, Catherine.

She joined Prince Philip, her son Charles and his wife, Camilla, at the graduation ceremony in June 2005.

Fife - Naming ships and opening bridges

As the coffin reached the most southerly point of Fife, it passed Rosyth - where the UK's largest warship was officially named in her honour, in June 2014.

She smashed a bottle of whisky against the side of the aircraft carrier at Rosyth dockyard.

Six UK shipyards, and more than 10,000 people at more than 100 companies worked on HMS Queen Elizabeth.

It entered service in 2020 and is now the Royal Navy's Fleet Flagship.

The late Queen opened two bridges across the Forth during her 70 year reign - the Forth Road Bridge in 1964, and the Queensferry Crossing in August 2017.

Her coffin crossed the new Queensferry Crossing, which links Fife to Edinburgh.

She returned to the Forth Road Bridge in 2014 to mark its 50th anniversary and was back just three years later to cut the ribbon on its £1.35bn replacement.

Queen Elizabeth II said the Queensferry Crossing, the UK's tallest bridge, was a "breath-taking sight" and one of three "magnificent structures" across the Forth.

Edinburgh - A new parliament

At the end of its journey, the Royal coffin was taken to the Palace of Holyroodhouse - the Royal residence opposite the Scottish Parliament building.

The late Queen officially opened the £431m building in 2004 - three years late and over budget.

In a speech to MSPs she acknowledged the construction's "difficult and controversial birth" and urged them to make Holyrood a "landmark of 21st Century democracy".

She returned in October last year to open the sixth session of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood despite some Covid restrictions still being in place.

In a speech in the debating chamber, she paid tribute to those who made an "extraordinary contribution" during the pandemic.

And she spoke of her happy memories of Scotland and her " deep and abiding affection for this wonderful country ".

"It is often said that it is the people that make a place and there are few places where this is truer than it is in Scotland."

What next? A day-by-day guide from now to the funeral

How titles and the line of succession have changed

Nine shows to stream about the Queen

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More on this story

The Scottish home loved by the Queen

• Published 8 September 2022

'She was a neighbour, more than just the Queen'

• Published 9 September 2022

• International

Queen's coffin arrives in Scottish capital

By Lauren Said-Moorhouse and Sana Noor Haq, CNN

Our live coverage has ended for the day.

Read our full report on the Queen's procession from Balmoral Castle to Edinburgh here , and read here for the latest on the monarch's funeral plans.

In pictures: Queen's coffin arrives in Edinburgh

CNN Digital Photo Team

Crowds gathered along the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland, to pay their respects on Sunday as the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II arrived at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

It ended a six-hour journey from Balmoral Castle, with the procession traveling through villages and cities before arriving in Scotland's capital.

Queen's coffin has arrived at the Palace of Holyroodhouse

From CNN's Niamh Kennedy, Max Foster, Lauren Said-Moorhouse and Sana Noor Haq

The Queen's coffin has arrived at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in the Scottish capital Edinburgh, completing the first leg of the monarch's eight-day final journey.

Britain’s longest-serving monarch  died Thursday  at the age of 96 at her Scottish country estate in Balmoral. Her funeral will be held in London on September 19.

Crowds of mourners lined the streets of villages and cities across Scotland, paying tribute to the monarch as her cortege made its way to Edinburgh in a six-hour journey. People in the Scottish capital had camped out in anticipation of the arrival of the Queen.

Upon arrival at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the coffin was greeted with an honor guard made up of the Royal Regiment of Scotland who performed a royal salute.

The coffin was set to be transferred to the palace’s Throne Room, where household staff will be able to pay their final respects to the late monarch – similar to how the coffin was placed in the ballroom at Balmoral.

Queen’s coffin arrives in Scottish capital Edinburgh

From CNN's Niamh Kennedy and Chris Liakos

The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II arrived in the Scottish capital Edinburgh on Sunday afternoon, after a six-hour journey through the Scottish countryside.

Huge crowds gathered along the city's iconic Royal Mile to bid farewell to the Queen, who died on Thursday at the age of 96.

Earlier in the day, people told CNN's team on the ground that this was "a moment in history" and that the monarch was "very loved in Scotland."

The coffin will subsequently arrive at the forecourt of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where it will be greeted with an honor guard made up of the Royal Regiment of Scotland who will perform a royal salute in the forecourt.

CNN's Isa Soares and Anna Gorzkowska in Edinburgh contributed reporting.

Queen's coffin travels through Scottish cities en route to Royal Mile in Edinburgh

From CNN's Niamh Kennedy

Mourners lined the streets as the coffin carrying Queen Elizabeth II passed through the cities of Aberdeen and Dundee -- two key stops along its six-hour journey to Edinburgh.

The coffin was driven along Aberdeen's North Deeside Road passing along the Great Western Road, before passing by Duthie Park, a 44-acre public park.

Members of the public, as well as former and current members of the armed forces, gathered in great numbers along the park's perimeter on the Great Southern Road for a special ceremony. 

Queen's corgis to live with the Duke and Duchess of York

From CNN's Max Foster and Niamh Kennedy in London

The Queen's corgis will live with the Duke and Duchess of York, Andrew and Sarah, a source close to the Duke of York told CNN on Sunday.

The pair, who divorced in 1996, both reside at the Royal Lodge on the Windsor estate.

The source told CNN that Sarah, Duchess of York bonded with the late Queen over a shared love of dog walking and horse riding.

Even after her divorce from Prince Andrew, Sarah continued her friendship with the Queen by walking dogs through the Windsor estate, the source added.

In addition to her two Pembroke Welsh corgis, Muick and Sandy, the Queen is reported to have left behind an older, mixed breed "dorgi" called Candy and a cocker spaniel named Lissy.

People camp out in Edinburgh ahead of the arrival of the Queen’s coffin

From CNN’s Anna Gorzowska and Isa Soares in Edinburgh

People in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh have been camping out in anticipation of the arrival of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II.

The coffin left Balmoral Castle shortly after 10 a.m. (5 a.m. ET) on Sunday, before passing through several villages and the cities of Aberdeen and Dundee.

Later, it will make its way down the Royal Mile in Edinburgh before being taken to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland.

People have been telling the CNN team on the ground that this is "a moment in history" and that Queen Elizabeth II was "very loved in Scotland."

Hilary Gemmell said she drove one and a half hours to Edinburgh with her mother as they wanted to come and pay their respects to the Queen.

"On Thursday night I definitely had a tear in my eye. I feel like we’ve lost one of the family," Gemmell said.

There are people camped out along the Royal Mile with chairs, holding spots for the next few hours so they can be there for the arrival coffin, according to the CNN team on the ground.

Prince William honored to "serve the Welsh people" as he speaks to first minister

From CNN's Max Foster and David Wilkinson in London

Prince William has spoken to the first minister of Wales and expressed his honor in being made Prince of Wales by King Charles III, according to a Kensington Palace statement on Sunday.

In a telephone conversation with Mark Drakeford, the Prince of Wales "acknowledged his and the Princess’s deep affection for Wales, having made their first family home in Anglesey including during the earliest months of Prince George’s life," the statement read.

The statement added that the new Prince and Princess of Wales will "serve the Welsh people" with "humility and great respect."

According to the statement, they will spend the months and years ahead deepening their relationship with communities across Wales.

"They want to do their part to support the aspirations of the Welsh people and to shine a spotlight on both the challenges and opportunities in front of them. The Prince and Princess look forward to celebrating Wales’ proud history and traditions as well as a future that is full of promise.

"They will seek to live up to the proud contribution that members of the Royal family have made in years past," the statement adds.

Former British colony to hold referendum on becoming a republic, its prime minister says

From CNN's Hamdi Alkhshali and Jen Deaton

Antigua and Barbuda, a Commonwealth country and former colony of the British Empire, will hold a referendum on becoming a republic and removing King Charles III as the head of state within three years, its prime minister has said.  

Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne told the UK’s ITV News on Saturday that "this is a matter that has to be taken to a referendum for the people to decide."

This was Browne’s first interview since the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday.

Browne said "it does not represent any form of disrespect to the monarch. This is not an act of hostility, or any difference between Antigua and Barbuda and the monarchy."

He added that "it is a final step to complete the circle of independence to become a truly sovereign nation."

The Caribbean country is one of 14 states to retain a British monarch as head of state, with Browne signing a document confirming Charles’ status as the new King for now.

Some context: King Charles III will now become head of the Commonwealth, although that is not a hereditary position, after his  succession to the role  was agreed by Commonwealth leaders at a meeting in London in 2018.

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Queen Elizabeth II's coffin makes somber journey through Scotland

Updated on: September 11, 2022 / 9:56 PM EDT / CBS/AP

Edinburgh, Scotland  — In a somber, regal procession, Queen Elizabeth II 's flag-draped coffin was driven slowly through the Scottish countryside Sunday from her beloved Balmoral Castle to the Scottish capital of Edinburgh. Mourners packed city streets and highway bridges or lined rural roads with cars and tractors to take part in a historic goodbye to the monarch who had reigned for 70 years.

The hearse drove past piles of bouquets and other tributes as it led a seven-car cortege from Balmoral, where the queen died Thursday at age 96, for a six-hour trip through Scottish towns to Holyroodhouse palace in Edinburgh. The late queen's coffin was draped in the Royal Standard for Scotland and topped with a wreath made of flowers from the estate, including sweet peas, one of the queen's favorites.

The queen's coffin was taking a circuitous journey back to the capital. After it is flown to London on Tuesday, the coffin will be moved from Buckingham Palace on Wednesday to the Houses of Parliament to lie in state until a state funeral at Westminster Abbey on Sept. 19. The White House said on Sunday that President Biden had formally accepted an invitation to attend the funeral, and he will be accompanied by first lady Jill Biden. 

The procession was a huge event for Scotland as the U.K. takes days to mourn its longest-reigning monarch, the only one most Britons have ever known. People turned out hours early to grab a space by the police barricades in Edinburgh. By afternoon, the crowds were 10 people deep in places.

"I think she has been an ever-constant in my life. She was the queen I was born under, and she has always been there," said Angus Ruthven, a 54-year-old civil servant from Edinburgh. "I think it is going to take a lot of adjusting that she is not here. It is quite a sudden thing."

Silence fell on the packed Royal Mile in Edinburgh as the hearse carrying the queen arrived. But as the convoy vanished from view, the crowd spontaneously started clapping.

When the hearse reached Holyroodhouse, members of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, wearing green tartan kilts, carried the coffin past the queen's youngest three children — Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward — and into the throne room, where it was to remain until Monday afternoon so staff can pay their last respects.

King Charles III and his Queen Consort Camilla will travel Monday to Edinburgh to join another solemn procession that takes the queen's coffin to St. Giles Cathedral on the city's Royal Mile. There the coffin will remain for 24 hours so the Scottish public can pay their respects before it is flown to London on Tuesday.

The first village the cortege passed through was Ballater, where residents regard the royal family as neighbors. Hundreds of people watched in silence and some threw flowers in front of the hearse.   "She meant such a lot to people in this area. People were crying, it was amazing to see," said Victoria Pacheco, a guest house manager.

In each Scottish town and village, the entourage was met with muted scenes of respect. People stood mostly in silence; some clapped politely, others pointed their phone cameras at the passing cars. In Aberdeenshire, farmers lined the route with an honor guard of tractors.

Along the route, the cortege passed through locations laden with House of Windsor history. Those included Dyce, where in 1975 the queen formally opened the U.K.'s first North Sea oil pipeline, and Fife, near St. Andrews University, where her grandson Prince William, now the Prince of Wales, studied and met his future wife, Catherine.

Sunday's solemn drive came as the queen's eldest son was formally proclaimed the new monarch — King Charles III — in the rest of the nations of the United Kingdom: Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It came a day after a pomp-filled accession ceremony in England.

"I am deeply aware of this great inheritance and of the duties and heavy responsibilities of sovereignty, which have now passed to me," Charles said Saturday.

Just before the proclamation was read Sunday in Edinburgh, a protester appeared with a sign condemning imperialism and urging leaders to "abolish the monarchy." She was taken away by police. Reaction was mixed. One man shouted, "Let her go! It's free speech!" while others shouted: "Have some respect!"

Still, there was some booing in Edinburgh when Joseph Morrow, Lord Lyon King of Arms, finished his proclamation with the words "God save the king!"

Ann Hamilton, 48, said she thought the booing was "absolutely terrible."

"There's tens of thousands of people here today to show their respect. For them to be here, heckling through things, I think it was terrible. If they were so against it, they shouldn't have come," she said.

Still, it was a sign of how some, including Britain's former colonies, are struggling with the legacy of the monarchy.

Earlier, proclamations were read in other parts of the Commonwealth, including Australia and New Zealand.

Charles, even as he mourned his late mother, was getting to work at Buckingham Palace, meeting with the secretary-general and other representatives of the Commonwealth. Many in those nations are grappling with affection for the queen and lingering bitterness over their colonial legacies, which ranged from outright slavery to corporal punishment in African schools to looted artifacts held in British cultural institutions.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who had started laying the groundwork for an Australian republic after an election in May, said Sunday that now was the time not for a change but for paying tribute to the late queen.

India, a former British colony, observed a day of state mourning, with flags lowered to half-staff on all government buildings.

Amid the grief enveloping the House of Windsor, there were hints of a possible family reconciliation. Prince William and his brother Harry, together with their respective wives, Catherine, Princess of Wales, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, delighted mourners near Windsor Castle with a surprise joint appearance Saturday.

In Ballater, the Rev. David Barr said locals consider the royals as neighbors.

"When she comes up here, and she goes through those gates, I believe the royal part of her stays mostly outside," he said. "And as she goes in, she was able to be a wife, a loving wife, a loving mum, a loving gran and then later on a loving great-gran - and aunty - and be normal."

Elizabeth Taylor, from Aberdeen, had tears in her eyes after the hearse carrying the queen's coffin passed through Ballater.

"It was very emotional. It was respectful and showed what they think of the queen," she said. "She certainly gave service to this country, even up until a few days before her death."

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Queen's coffin arrives at royal residence in Edinburgh after 'emotional' journey from Balmoral

Her coffin will rest in the throne room overnight so Holyroodhouse staff will be able to pay their final respects. On Monday afternoon it will be taken in a procession along the historic Royal Mile to the city's St Giles' Cathedral where there will be a service.

Monday 12 September 2022 06:09, UK

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The Queen's coffin has arrived at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh after a journey of more than six hours from her Scottish home, Balmoral Castle.

It is the end of the first stage of what her eldest son, King Charles, described as his mother's "last great journey".

Thousands of people lined roads along the 180-mile route as they paid their respects to the 96-year-old royal.

Details of favourite flowers from Balmoral garden in wreath revealed - live updates

The crowds were biggest in Edinburgh, where cheers and applause were heard as the hearse travelled through its sometimes cobbled streets in the city's Old Town.

In some places, packed crowds were more than 10 deep.

Her oak coffin, draped with the Royal Standard of Scotland with a wreath of Balmoral flowers on top, was taken slowly in a seven-car cortege to the Scottish capital.

As it arrived at the Palace of Holyroodhouse - the official residence of the monarchy in Scotland - the Queen's two youngest sons, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, bowed their heads, and Edward's wife, the Countess of Wessex, curtsied.

The coffin was then taken out of the hearse and carried inside the building by eight pallbearers - soldiers from the Royal Regiment of Scotland - as the royal trio repeated their gestures as the coffin passed them.

The Queen 's only daughter, the Princess Royal, also curtsied as she stood alongside her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence.

The couple had been part of the royal procession travelling in a limousine directly behind the hearse.

The royals then followed the coffin into the palace.

The coffin will rest in the Throne Room overnight so Holyroodhouse staff will be able to pay their last respects.

On Monday afternoon it will be taken along the historic Royal Mile to the city's St Giles' Cathedral where there will be a service.

The procession will feature the Queen's four children following behind on foot, along with Sir Timothy Laurence.

The Queen Consort, Camilla, and the Countess of Wessex will follow by car and also attend the service.

There will be a Vigil of the Princes featuring the King and other royals, and the Queen will then lie at rest, where the public will be able to pay their respects for 24 hours.

Public viewing of the coffin begins at 5pm on Monday, but people have been warned of long waits, and photography and recording is strictly prohibited.

During the journey from Balmoral to Edinburgh, some mourners threw flowers at the hearse, while others had tears in their eyes, describing the occasion as "very emotional".

The cortege left the estate just after 10am before passing through a number of villages, towns, and cities.

The sight of a coffin - the moment the sense of loss hits home

Royal correspondent

As the Queen’s coffin left Balmoral Castle, her place of sanctuary, it was a time to pause and take in what has happened.

Traffic, tractors and thousands in the crowds all stopping to pay their respects along the 180-mile journey.

The sight of a coffin, is so often the moment when the sense of loss begins to hit home.

It was a journey that spanned the two most important aspects of the Queen’s life: Driving through the Highlands we saw where she personally felt most at home every summer, enjoying time with her family. But soon it was time to face the crowds of towns and cities just as she had throughout her life, where much of her official work was carried out.

Overall, there was silence, punctuated by the odd round of applause, as hundreds raised their phones in the centre of Edinburgh to capture this moment - people all wanting to be able to show in the future they were there.

Princess Anne and her husband Admiral Sir Tim Laurence had travelled in a car behind the coffin.

Today she will join the rest of her siblings, led by King Charles, as they follow the hearse once more to St Giles Cathedral for a service of remembrance.

In death, as in life, we will again see that natural instinct to support and be there for their mother and Queen.

'Sad and poignant moment'

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon paid tribute to the Queen when her final journey began.

Ms Sturgeon said in a tweet: "A sad and poignant moment as Her Majesty, The Queen leaves her beloved Balmoral for the final time.

"Today, as she makes her journey to Edinburgh, Scotland will pay tribute to an extraordinary woman."

The first village was Ballater, the closest to Balmoral, where many locals considered the Queen as a neighbour.

Hundreds, silent and sombre, lined its main street, as the cortege passed slowly.

Elizabeth Taylor, from Aberdeen, shed tears as she considered what she had just seen.

She said: "It was very emotional. It was respectful and showed what they think of the Queen. She certainly gave service to this country, even up until a few days before her death."

Another woman told Sky News she had driven eight hours from Cheshire to get to the village. She said: "I just wanted to be here today to wave her off. She's been the constant figure in the whole of my life.

"It's brought together all the losses of the last few years."

More on the Queen: What happens between now and the Queen's funeral? How the Queen adapted to Scotland's shifting politics The secrets behind some of the Queen's most famous photos

In the town of Banchory, crowds again came out in large numbers, with some people clapping the cortege as it went by.

'A wonderful salute'

Sky's royal commentator Alastair Bruce said: "A wonderful salute from Banchory, quiet gentle applause and a few of them throwing flowers into the path of the hearse."

Around two hours into its journey, it arrived in the city of Aberdeen, where large crowds fell silent as they watched the cortege pass. Many people brought their children to bear witness to the historic moment.

Some of the largest crowds were witnessed in the city of Dundee, where a lone long-stemmed flower could be seen on the hearse windscreen.

And in a rural part of the route, farmers paid homage to the Queen with tractors lined up in a field.

The Princess Royal will fly to London with her mother's body on Tuesday afternoon.

The events in Scotland are the first meticulously planned steps leading to the funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday 19 September - a day that will be a bank holiday.

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EDINBURGH, Scotland, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Queen Elizabeth's coffin arrived in Edinburgh on Sunday after a six-hour journey from her summer home in the Scottish Highlands, past tens of thousands of mourners lining the route, many in sombre silence, some applauding and others in tears.

At the end of its slow journey through picturesque Scottish countryside, villages, small towns and cities, soldiers wearing kilts carried the coffin to the throne room of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Elizabeth's official Scottish residence, where it will remain overnight.

In an emotional tribute to his mother on Friday, the queen's eldest son and the new monarch, King Charles, said she had begun a "last great journey" to join Prince Philip, her husband of 73 years who died last year.

Earlier, the hearse carrying the oak coffin emerged from the gates of Balmoral Castle, where she died on Thursday aged 96, at the start of the drive to the Scottish capital.

Her coffin was draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland with a wreath on top made of flowers taken from the Balmoral estate including sweet peas, one of Elizabeth's favourites.

Crowds, fifteen deep in places, massed in the centre of Edinburgh to greet the cortege as it made its way to Holyroodhouse, where it was met by a military guard of honour.

The queen's daughter Anne, flanked by the queen's younger sons, Princes Andrew and Edward, curtsied as the coffin was carried inside by soldiers from the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

"There was no way I could miss this. I would regret it for the rest of my life," said Eilidh Mackintosh, 62, who left her home at 6 a.m. to be sure of a good view among the large crowds on Edinburgh's famous Royal Mile.

Rachel Lindsay, 24, was left in tears as the coffin passed. "It’s just very sad," she said. "I don’t think we expected it to ever happen. I just thought she’d live forever. I didn’t think it was real until I saw it."

The journey from Balmoral was the first of a series of events leading up to the state funeral at Westminster Abbey in London on Sept. 19.

Her death has drawn tears, sadness and warm tributes, not just from the queen's own close family and many in Britain, but also from around the globe - reflecting her presence on the world stage for seven decades.

Wherever the cortege went, people lined the road or stopped their cars to get out and watch. At one point, it passed a guard of honour formed by dozens of tractors lined up in adjacent fields by farmers.

Many watched silently in bright sunshine. Some threw flowers into the road. For others, the emotion of the moment moved them to tears.

"It's just very, very sad. I’m happy I was here to say our goodbyes," said Elizabeth Alexander, 69, who was born on the day the queen was crowned in 1953. read more

Many thousands are continuing to gather at the royal palaces across Britain, bringing bouquet after bouquet of flowers. In Green Park near London's Buckingham Palace, where some of the tributes are being taken, long lines of bouquets snake around the park allowing mourners to read the tributes.

Other well-wishers have attached their messages of condolence to trees.

Charles became king immediately after his mother's death and was officially proclaimed the new monarch at a ceremony on Saturday, full of pageantry and centuries-old traditions. read more

[1/14] The Princess Royal curtseys the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped with the Royal Standard of Scotland, as it arrives at Holyroodhouse, where it will lie in rest for a day, in Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain September 11, 2022. Aaron Chown/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing Rights

Similar proclamations are following across the United Kingdom and the other 14 realms of which Charles is now head of state, including Australia, Canada, Jamaica, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. read more

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said parliament would be recalled on Thursday to allow members to pay tribute. read more

The queen came to the throne following the death of her father King George VI on Feb. 6, 1952, when she was just 25. Her coronation took place a year later.

While Elizabeth's death was not totally unexpected given her age and deteriorating health, there was still a sense of shock at the news.

"We all thought she was invincible," her grandson Prince William , now the heir to the throne, told a well-wisher on Saturday as he met crowds at Windsor castle. read more

The highly-choreographed mourning plans will continue on Monday. Charles will join the other senior royals in Edinburgh when the coffin will be taken in a procession from Holyroodhouse to the city's St Giles Cathedral for a service.

There it will remain for 24 hours to allow people to pay their last respects and the new king and members of the royal family will also hold a vigil.

The day of the queen's funeral will be a public holiday in Britain, officials have announced. U.S. President Joe Biden said he would be there, although full details of the event and the attendees have not yet been released.

Before that, her coffin will be flown to London and there will be a sombre procession when it is later moved from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall to lie in state for four days.

"It goes without saying that we can expect large numbers of people," a spokesperson for Prime Minister Liz Truss told reporters.

Truss, whose appointment as prime minister on Tuesday was the queen's last public act, will join King Charles as both the new head of state and prime minister tour the four nations of the United Kingdom in the next few days. read more

Charles, 73, is now the 41st monarch in a line that traces its origins to the Norman King William the Conqueror who captured the English throne in 1066.

Elizabeth's death has capped a difficult couple of years for the royal family.

The most high-profile issue has involved her grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, who stepped down from royal life in 2020 to move to California from where they both have heavily criticised the institution.

That has left them alienated from the rest of the family, with Harry and his older brother William said to be barely on speaking terms. But the death of their grandmother has seen differences put aside, as they appeared together with their wives outside Windsor Castle to meet the crowds on Saturday. read more

A royal source described it as an important show of unity at an incredibly difficult time for the family.

Reporting by Michael Holden, William James and William Schomberg in London, Russell Cheyne in Balmoral, Lewis MacDonald and Marco Trujillo in Ballater, and Andrew MacAskill and Lindsay Dunsmuir in Edinburgh Editing by Kate Holton, Mark Potter, Andrew Heavens and Frances Kerry

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022) Queen Elizabeth’s Coffin Arrives in Edinburgh as Scotland Mourns

The royal family will gather for ceremonies there before the coffin is flown to London on Tuesday. The queen will lie in state there starting on Wednesday.

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• Windsor Mary Turner for The New York Times
• Ballater Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
• London James Hill for The New York Times

Stephen Castle

Crowds lined the route from Balmoral to bid farewell to their queen.

EDINBURGH — The coffin carrying Queen Elizabeth II on her final journey on Sunday arrived in the Scottish capital Edinburgh — now the focus of national mourning — after a six-hour procession from Balmoral Castle, the country estate where she died.

A huge crowd lined central Edinburgh’s Royal Mile to catch a glimpse of the hearse as it made its way slowly to its first destination, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the royal residence in the Scottish capital, where the queen’s coffin will remain overnight.

Local people, visitors and tourists thronged the city’s main streets under gray clouds to pay their respects to a monarch who had a deep affinity for Scotland. There was some applause as the convoy of seven vehicles, led by a motorcycle outrider, drove through central Edinburgh, though the mood was respectful and generally somber.

At the palace, the procession was greeted by a guard of honor and military bearers carried the coffin to the palace’s throne room.

The oak coffin, draped in a royal standard, began its journey by being carried by six gamekeepers from the ballroom at the Balmoral estate, where the queen spent her summer vacations and for which she had a deep and long affection.

The departure from Balmoral, a remote outpost in the dramatic Scottish countryside, began a period during which Britons will be able to pay respects to the queen before her funeral on Sept. 19 at Westminster Abbey in London. Leaders from around the world are expected to attend the funeral; the White House said on Sunday that President Biden and the first lady had accepted an invitation.

After the procession departed Balmoral, it passed through small towns and bigger cities where crowds lined the roads for a glimpse of the queen’s wreath-covered coffin. In Ballater, a few bystanders threw flowers in the path of the vehicles as the town paid its silent and somber tribute.

The route took the hearse from Balmoral, via Aberdeen, Dundee and Perth, before the procession arrived after 4 p.m. at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

That the queen’s final days were spent at Balmoral underscored her close ties to Scotland, which, for two days, will be the central point of national mourning.

Members of the royal family are expected to accompany the coffin on Monday morning, when it is to be moved along the Royal Mile to nearby St. Giles’ Cathedral.

There, after a religious service, the queen’s coffin will rest to allow people to pay their respects. On Tuesday, it will be flown to London, where there will be more opportunities for Britons to bid farewell to their monarch before her funeral.

Yonette Joseph

Here’s what will happen to Queen Elizabeth’s two corgis.

For the legions of dog lovers who have wondered what will happen to Queen Elizabeth’s two surviving corgis , there is clarity: One of the queen’s sons will keep the dogs in the family.

The Duke of York, also known as Prince Andrew, and his former wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, will take care of the two corgis, a spokesperson for the duke said on Sunday.

It was the duchess who had found the dogs when they were puppies, and the duke who gave them to the queen as gifts, the spokesperson said by email.

The corgis, named Muick and Sandy, will live at Royal Lodge in Windsor, the vast country estate Prince Andrew shares with his ex-wife.

The queen had more than 30 dogs during her 70-year reign, but her love of corgis in particular has been well documented. The dogs were such a fixture at her side or by her feet that Princess Diana, mother of William and Harry, famously called them a “moving carpet.”

What will happen to the queen’s other dogs, Candy, a dorgi — a cross between a dachshund and a corgi — and Lissy, a cocker spaniel, remains unclear.

Ms. Ferguson maintained a bond with the monarch after she split from the prince in 1996, and they often rode horses and walked the dogs together, the spokesperson said.

After the queen died in Scotland , the duchess said in a post on Twitter : “She was the most incredible mother-in-law and friend. I will always be grateful to her for the generosity she showed me in remaining close to me even after my divorce.”

She added : “I will miss her more than words can express.”

I am heartbroken by the passing of Her Majesty the Queen. She leaves behind an extraordinary legacy: the most fantastic example of duty and service and steadfastness, and a constant steadying presence as our head of state for more than 70 years. pic.twitter.com/3X6Lpy98lr — Sarah Ferguson (Fergie) (@SarahTheDuchess) September 8, 2022

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Queen’s ties to Scotland add new wrinkle to push for independence.

EDINBURGH — Its streets lined with tens of thousands of admirers, Scotland bade a somber farewell to Queen Elizabeth II on Sunday as her coffin made its slow, final, journey through a country that she helped bind into the British state through her decades of rule, her love of the wild Scottish countryside and her own popularity.

The six-hour funeral procession was the beginning of three days of mourning centered on Scotland, continuing on Monday with a journey along Edinburgh’s “Royal Mile,” which starts at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the royal residence, before moving on to St. Giles’ Cathedral, where members of the public will have a chance to pay their respects.

The queen’s death in Scotland, at her home in Balmoral, underscored her close ties to the country, which for two days will be the center of national mourning. But the journey of her body is also a trip laden with political overtones, as new questions arise about the future of Scotland’s independence movement in the wake of the queen’s death.

The accession of King Charles III comes at a time of renewed mobilization for Scottish independence, complicating the approach for those who want to break away. Political analysts said that respect for the queen and her devotion to Scotland could temporarily dampen the heated debate over independence, and perhaps strengthen a union that has been under acute strain for more than a decade.

“The fact that it has happened here reinforces the connection to Balmoral, and the preparations for the funeral have a strong Scottish element,” said James Mitchell, professor of public policy at Edinburgh University, referring to the country estate that the queen loved and the place where she died.

“I am pretty sure it’s not helping the S.N.P.,” Professor Mitchell added, referring to the pro-independence Scottish National Party, led by Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister.

Still, Professor Mitchell said, in the long term it was unclear how the queen’s death would affect the independence movement. “It depends on where we will be in a few month’s time or in a couple of year’s time,” he said.

That air of constitutional uncertainty was evident on Sunday, reflected in the front page headline of The Herald newspaper. Above a picture of King Charles, it read: “Union’s Saviour or Last King of Scotland?”

The Herald on Sunday #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/abOdz5BKCW — Helena Wilkinson (@BBCHelena) September 10, 2022

Ms. Sturgeon wants to keep the monarchy even if Scotland wins independence, and King Charles also has close ties to her country; after his marriage to Diana, Princess of Wales, his honeymoon was at Balmoral.

But he faces a significant challenge in building the same rapport with the Scottish people that his mother established over decades, and he ascends the throne at a moment of tension over constitutional questions.

In 2014, Scotland voted against independence, but Britain’s vote two years later in favor of Brexit changed the equation in the eyes of many Scots, a majority of whom wanted to stay in the European Union. Outnumbered by voters in England and Wales, they found their wish overruled, lending momentum to the independence movement.

Ms. Sturgeon has called for another referendum on independence next year . The British government has rejected that demand, and the issue is being contested in court, though most analysts say that another vote is unlikely to happen soon.

Politically, Scotland and England have been growing gradually apart, their voters favoring politicians from differing parties. But many Scots see the monarchy as Scottish as much as English. And they take their shared monarchal history seriously.

In 1603, after the death of Elizabeth I, James VI of Scotland succeeded her, becoming James I of England in what was essentially a Scottish takeover of the English crown. A formal union took place a century later in 1707.

When Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne in 1952, there were complaints in Scotland about her being known as Queen Elizabeth II because Elizabeth I had reigned over England but not Scotland.

While she was scrupulously diplomatic, there was little doubt about Queen Elizabeth II’s desire for the country to remain united and, during the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, she appealed to people to “think very carefully about the future” before voting.

Later, David Cameron, then prime minister, apologized for revealing that, when he called the queen to inform her of the result, she had “purred down the line.”

Nonetheless, the pro-independence forces have not only praised the monarchy, which they want to retain as part of a separate nation, but also claimed the queen as their own.

“The relationship between Scotland and the queen was one of shared admiration,” said Ian Blackford, the leader of the S.N.P. lawmakers at Westminster, in a tribute on Friday. “Indeed, while she was everyone’s queen, for many in Scotland, she was Elizabeth Queen of Scots.”

“Her Majesty’s roots in Scotland run deep,” he added. “She was descended from the royal house of Stewart on both sides of her family, and, of course, her mother was from Glamis in Angus.’’

On Sunday outside the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Alana McCormick, 35, a nursery practitioner from Midlothian, reflected on the queen’s love of Scotland in general and of Balmoral in particular. It was from there that her coffin was carried on Sunday morning to a waiting hearse by the estate’s gamekeepers at the start of the procession.

“I personally feel she chose to die here; she knew her time was coming,” she said. “She had a love for Scotland, and people here have come out in droves.”

“I am not voting for independence of Scotland,” she added, “and I am hoping that this will put the call for a referendum on the back burner.”

Torquil Corkerton, a military reservist and piper who arrived with four corgis — the queen’s favorite breed of dog — said the fact that the queen has died in Balmoral reinforced the connection with Scotland.

As for independence, he said, the queen’s death in Scotland will make no difference to convinced supporters, “but for those who are ambivalent, I think it will help strengthen the union.”

James Rivals, 34, who is from Edinburgh and was carrying a bouquet of lilies, said that while he favored an independent Scotland, he wanted to retain the monarchy and had come to pay his respects.

In the longer term, the impact on Scotland of the death of the queen might depend less on the emotions surrounding the funeral and more on the success King Charles achieves in building on the support his mother bequeathed.

“At the end of the day, the monarchy could be useful for the unionist side if there is a referendum,” said Professor Mitchell, “but how useful depends on how popular the monarch is at the time of any referendum.”

“The queen was very popular,” he added, “and it could be the case that Charles doesn’t have the same popularity that she did.”

Teshia Morris

President Biden has formally accepted an invitation to attend Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral on Sept. 19, the White House said. The first lady, Jill Biden, will accompany him.

The New York Times

After Sept. 11, the queen requested ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ at the changing of the guard.

With its protocols and pageantry, the British monarchy’s adherence to tradition is so strong that a departure from its norms speaks volumes.

And when Queen Elizabeth II ordered a break with custom more than two decades ago, it signified global mourning and gave comfort to grieving Americans stranded far from home.

Two days after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Elizabeth ordered a military band to play “The Star-Spangled Banner” during the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, one of the most popular and visible public displays of British tradition.

“Tourists and British onlookers stood silent, grasping American flags and weeping,” The New York Times reported at the time.

The changing of the guard — carried out by soldiers in red tunics and tall bearskin hats — is accompanied by a full military band playing traditional marches and more familiar tunes. But the decision to play the national anthem of its former colony was a poignant display of solidarity following the attacks.

Last year, on the 20th anniversary of the attacks, the queen again ordered the United States’ anthem to be played as the guard changed. In a message to President Biden, Queen Elizabeth II said at the time that her thoughts and prayers — “and those of my family and the entire nation” — were with the victims, survivors, families and rescue workers affected by the attacks.

Emma Bubola

Mourners will be able to view the queen’s coffin in Scotland and London.

When the queen mother died in 2002, aged 101, about 200,000 people paid their respects in a line of mourners that extended for more than a mile from the Palace of Westminster, over Lambeth Bridge, and packed the sidewalks along the south bank of the River Thames.

The queue of mourners for Queen Elizabeth II is likely to stretch far longer.

For about five days — first in Scotland and then in London — the late queen’s coffin will be on view to allow the public to pay their respects, with enormous crowds expected to turn out in honor of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch. The crowd could approach the one million that gathered after the death of Winston Churchill in 1965.

The queen’s coffin was carried on Sunday from Balmoral Castle, where she died on Thursday, to Edinburgh. On Monday, it was be taken to St Giles’ Cathedral, where a service will take place attended by King Charles III and members of the Royal Family.

After the service, the coffin is expected to remain in the church for about a day, guarded by vigils from The Royal Company of Archers, a ceremonial unit that serves as the monarch’s bodyguard in Scotland.

Members of the public will be to able to pass by and pay their respects, although they will not be permitted to take photographs or videos. The Scottish government said it will put in place a queuing system and warned that “there is expected to be a high level of interest.”

“Please be aware that this is likely to involve standing for a number of hours in potentially challenging weather conditions, so come prepared,” the government said in a statement .

From Edinburgh, the late queen will be transported to London, where she will lie in state for about four days in Westminster Hall. Her coffin will be carried by a gun carriage of The King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, which also carried the coffin of the queen mother and Margaret Thatcher, the former prime minister.

Usually, the coffin rests on a raised platform, called a catafalque, in the middle of the Hall, draped in a royal flag with a crown placed on top. Each corner is guarded around the clock by a member of the sovereign’s guards..

Starting on Wednesday afternoon, members of the public will be able to file past the queen’s coffin. The British government said it would release more details later.

The queen’s body will remain in Westminster Hall until the morning of the state funeral on Monday the 19th.

Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward could be seen as the queen's coffin was carried into Holyroodhouse.

The queen’s coffin has arrived at Holyroodhouse, the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. The coffin will spend the night there and be taken to St. Giles’ Cathedral tomorrow.

The procession has made it to central Edinburgh, where crowds a dozen deep turned out to say farewell. Some mourners greeted the coffin with quiet, polite applause.

Torquil and Ann-Marie Corkerton, who live in Edinburgh, came to pay respects with their four corgis, famously the queen’s favourite breed. “Balmoral was her favourite place,” said Mr. Corkerton who, as an army reservist and piper, has performed at the castle and met the queen. “If it had happened anywhere else she would have gone straight to London to Buckingham Palace or wherever, but because it has happened here she will be lying in state in St. Giles’ Cathedral,” he said of the monarch’s death in Scotland. “So I think it has reinforced the connection,” he added.

Under gray clouds, crowds were awaiting a glimpse of the queen's hearse. Among them was Alana McCormick, 35, of Midlothian. She said of the queen, “I personally feel she chose to die here; she knew her time was coming. She had a love for Scotland and people here have come out in droves.”

In Edinburgh large crowds were building, and a big security operation was underway, with hundreds of police officers and stewards lining the Royal Mile. The road leads to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where the queen's coffin will stay overnight.

Derrick Taylor

Just after 2 p.m. local time, the procession carrying the queen’s coffin resumed its journey to Edinburgh, where it is expected to arrive around 4 p.m., the BBC reported. Thousands of people have already begun lining the streets of the Scottish capital, where local officials expect the crowds to grow.

Enjoli Liston

Queen Elizabeth II will be buried at Windsor Castle alongside her royal predecessors.

The 10 days of events and mourning for Queen Elizabeth II will culminate in her funeral on Monday, Sept. 19, when the queen’s coffin is expected to be placed on the same green gun carriage that carried her forefathers for a final procession down the Mall, which runs between Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square in central London.

The coffin will then be driven to Windsor Castle, about 23 miles west of London, where the queen will be buried alongside her husband and royal predecessors in St. George’s Chapel . The chapel, which is inside the walls of the castle, was completed in the 16th century during the reign of King Henry VIII, whose body is also buried there.

For centuries, Westminster Abbey in London was the burial place for kings and queens, but St. George’s Chapel has been the final resting place of nearly all British monarchs since King George III, who died in 1820.

Prince Philip, the queen’s husband for 73 years, was buried in the chapel in April 2021 after an intimate and muted funeral ceremony because of restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic. Pictures of the queen sitting in the chapel in isolation, dressed in black and wearing a face mask, prompted an outpouring of sympathy across the country at a time when members of the public were observing the same restrictions.

The queen will be buried in the King George VI Memorial Chapel alongside her parents, George VI and Queen Elizabeth, known as the queen mother. King George died in 1952, and the queen mother in 2002. It is also the final resting place of Princess Margaret, the queen’s only sibling, who also died in 2002. Prince Philip was laid to rest in the chapel’s main Royal Vault last year, but will be moved to join the queen.

Steeped in history, the chapel has been an important place of worship for the queen and her family and has been the venue for many royal weddings, christenings and funerals. Included among those occasions was the May 2018 wedding of Harry and Meghan , now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, an event watched by more than 29 million viewers in the United States alone.

Megan Specia contributed reporting

The procession carrying the queen’s coffin is taking a brief break to rest and refuel, according to the BBC. It is expected to arrive in Edinburgh around 4 p.m. local time.

Derrick Bryson Taylor

Antigua and Barbuda will hold a republic referendum within three years.

More than 40 years after Antigua and Barbuda gained its independence, the Caribbean nation’s prime minister on Saturday announced plans to hold a referendum on becoming a republic within three years, signaling a willingness to step away from the monarchy.

The Caribbean island nation is one of 14 Commonwealth Realms , countries that have the monarch as head of state.

“This is a matter that has to be taken to a referendum for the people to decide,” Prime Minister Gaston Browne told ITV News shortly after local dignitaries confirmed Charles III as King of Antigua and Barbuda at an accession ceremony.

Mr. Browne said the referendum was “not an act of hostility, or any difference between Antigua and Barbuda and the monarchy.”

He added: “It is the final step, as I said before, to complete that circle of independence, ensure that we are truly a sovereign nation.”

Antigua and Barbuda became an independent nation in 1981 after nearly 350 years of British rule.

Christopher Columbus first visited Antigua in 1493 and named it after a church in Seville, Spain. In the decades that followed, the Spanish and the French failed to colonize the island, but the British succeeded in 1632.

Today, fewer than 100,000 people live in Antigua and Barbuda, according to its government .

Last year, Barbados, a democracy of about 300,000 people, voted to remove Queen Elizabeth as head of state and swore in its first president, Sandra Mason.

It joined Guyana, which gained independence in 1966 and became a republic in 1970; Trinidad and Tobago, which became independent in 1962 and a republic in 1976; and Dominica, which gained full independence as a republic in 1978.

Mr. Browne said there wasn’t a rush to complete the action, but that the referendum “represents the aspiration of a people.”

Britain’s Sunday newspapers focus on Harry and William’s ‘olive branch’ moment.

Many of Britain’s Sunday newspapers focused on the surprise joint appearance of William and Catherine, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and Harry and Meghan , the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, at Windsor Castle on Saturday.

The two brothers have had a strained relationship, particularly since Harry and Meghan announced in 2020 that they would step back from duties as senior members of the royal family. In several newspapers, their rare public appearance got more prominent treatment than the official proclamation of King Charles III as the new sovereign.

“Warring Windsors’ awkward truce to honor the Queen,” read the headline on the front page of The Sunday Times, the Sunday edition of The Times of London. Windsor is the dynastic name of the royal family.

“The two couples put on an unexpected show of unity as they mingled with well-wishers,” the paper said.

Tomorrow's front page: Princes William and Harry and wives Kate and Meghan reunite in tribute to the Queen https://t.co/v9AQPBmGyb pic.twitter.com/GiZWxQASof — The Sun (@TheSun) September 10, 2022

William, the eldest son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales, who died in 1997, is now heir to the throne. Harry is fifth in line, behind William and Catherine’s three children.

“Reunited for Granny,” read the headline in The Sunday Mirror , adding that the appearance was reportedly an “olive branch” moment orchestrated by William. “All 4 One,” read the headline in The Sun on Sunday, a leading tabloid.

The Observer, the Sunday sister newspaper of the Guardian, was one of the few to focus on the official proclamation of King Charles III.

Tomorrow’s front page pic.twitter.com/SxeUm1QcGc — The Observer (@ObserverUK) September 10, 2022

Mark Landler

The BBC’s commentators, with hours of airtime to fill, are wrestling with how the queen’s death will affect pro-independence sentiment in Scotland. It’s a complicated question, since affection for her doesn’t necessarily translate into support for staying in the United Kingdom.

This part of Scotland the procession is making its way through has many reminders of the country’s rich history including nearby Crathes Castle, a 16th-century structure with turrets and towers.

Hundreds of people are gathered now to watch the procession, which has slowed as it passes Banchory, a town around 20 miles from Aberdeen, on the River Dee.

The procession is now at Aboyne, a small town on the banks of the River Dee, and the next point at which well-wishers are gathered to watch the passing hearse.

The six-hour route the procession takes, around 175 miles, is not the quickest way to get to Edinburgh, its first destination. It was chosen because it passes through Aberdeen, Dundee and Perth, allowing many people the chance to pay their respects.

The big turnout in Ballater was not unexpected because the queen was a real presence in the area. Local people often encountered members of the royal family out walking in the scenic countryside with relatively light security.

The procession has slowed to allow people in Ballater to see the hearse and the coffin, covered by the royal standard and a wreath. A few bystanders have thrown flowers in the path of the vehicles as the town pays its silent and somber tribute.

In Ballater, the first town through which the hearse has passed, hundreds of people of all ages gathered, lining the main street behind police barriers.

This part of the funeral procession passes through spectacular Scottish countryside, which was much loved by the queen. She spent her summer vacations here, enjoying country pursuits and spending private time with her family and invited guests (including prime ministers who were regular visitors).

In Ballater, the closest town to Balmoral Castle, around eight miles away, people have gathered to watch the procession of seven vehicles, including the hearse, led by a motorcycle outrider.

Inside the hearse the coffin, draped in the Royal Standard for Scotland, can be seen for the first time.

The hearse containing the coffin of the queen has now left Balmoral Castle, the start of her final journey, passing slowly through the gates where flowers have been left. It will first pass through the nearby village of Ballater in the beautiful Scottish countryside.

Megan Specia

King Charles III will meet the Commonwealth secretary general this morning at Buckingham Palace. Later in the day, he will host realm high commissioners and their spouses at the palace. Charles is also leader of the Commonwealth, an association of nations most of which were formerly part of the British Empire.

Andrés R. Martínez

Antigua’s prime minister, Gaston Browne, told ITV News that the island nation planned to hold a referendum on becoming a republic within three years. While the intention is to remove the British monarch as head of state, Antigua hopes to remain part of the Commonwealth and retain good relations with Britain, he said.

Mark Landler and Ben Shpigel

The queen’s coffin will begin its journey from Balmoral Castle to Westminster Abbey.

LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II’s oak coffin will begin its weeklong journey on Sunday from the dining room at Balmoral Castle, her summer retreat in the Scottish Highlands, to Westminster Abbey.

The queen’s funeral will be held on Sept. 19, the palace announced on Saturday.

On Sunday, six gamekeepers from the estate will bear the coffin to a hearse, which will carry it on a roundabout six-hour journey via Aberdeen to Edinburgh, where an honor guard will receive it at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the sovereign’s official residence in Scotland.

From there, it will be conveyed on Monday on the Royal Mile, a grand route through Edinburgh’s Old Town, to St. Giles’ Cathedral, where there will be a service and vigil. King Charles III and Queen Camilla will be part of that procession, with some members of the royal family walking behind the coffin and others riding in vehicles.

The queen, who died on Thursday, will lie in state in Edinburgh until Tuesday afternoon, when her coffin will be taken to a Royal Air Force jet, which will transport it to the Northolt air base west of London. It will be loaded into a state hearse and driven to Buckingham Palace, arriving at 8 p.m., when it will be placed on a trestle in the ballroom.

On Wednesday at 2:22 p.m., the queen’s coffin, now adorned with the imperial state crown and a wreath of flowers, will be conveyed by gun carriage in a silent procession from Buckingham Palace, through the Mall and past the Horse Guards Parade, making its way to Westminster Hall in the Palace of Westminster.

After a blessing by the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, the queen will lie in state in Westminster Hall for four days until the morning of Sept. 19, when her coffin will be moved again for her funeral that day, at 11 a.m., to nearby Westminster Abbey.

Buckingham Palace declined to estimate how many people might pass her coffin during that period, though based on other funerals for members of the royal family, it is likely to be tens, or even hundreds, of thousands.

The sons of King Charles III make a rare joint appearance outside Windsor Castle.

The sons of King Charles III and their wives made a rare joint appearance on Saturday outside Windsor Castle, greeting crowds that had gathered to leave flowers and messages remembering Queen Elizabeth II.

William and Catherine, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and Harry and Meghan , the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, walked along large piles of flowers and tributes, studying notes and waving to well-wishers.

The two brothers have had a strained relationship, particularly after Harry and Meghan announced in 2020 that they planned to no longer be working royals and move to the United States. An interview last year with Oprah Winfrey , in which Harry and Meghan indicated that an unnamed member of the royal family had worried about the color of their unborn baby’s skin when Meghan was pregnant with their first child, Archie , caused further upheaval.

Still, in June, Harry and Meghan returned for the queen’s Platinum Jubilee festivities , their first official royal event since early March 2020, when they attended a service for the British Commonwealth at Westminster Abbey and then left for Canada, and later, Southern California.

They were already in Europe on Thursday for an awards ceremony when the queen’s death was announced. Harry quickly traveled to Balmoral Castle in Scotland to be with his family as the country began mourning the queen.

Michael Levenson

The queen wouldn’t have become the monarch if not for the unlikeliest of royal scandals.

Queen Elizabeth II became a symbol of constancy and equanimity over her seven decades as sovereign, but her path to the throne was anything but predictable.

It was set in motion in the years before World War II by a royal scandal unlike any other when her uncle, King Edward VIII , later the Duke of Windsor, became the first monarch in British history to voluntarily abdicate the throne, which he did 11 months after assuming it.

Edward VIII touched off a sensation at home and abroad with his decision in 1936 to leave the throne — “ after long and anxious consideration ,” he wrote — and marry Wallis Simpson, an American who had been divorced twice.

“But you must believe me when I tell you that I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as king, as I would wish to do, without the help and support of the woman I love,” the departing king said in a radio address on Dec. 11, 1936.

The next day, he left England, embarking on what The New York Times described as a “ swift and lonely journey ” into voluntary exile.

Edward VIII was succeeded by his brother, the Duke of York, who became King George VI. Elizabeth became heir to the throne, ordaining a dramatic new destiny for a girl who was just 10 years old at the time.

Fifteen years later, when her father died in his sleep, on Feb. 6, 1952, Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, who was traveling in Kenya, became Queen Elizabeth II. She was 25.

As her reign stretched into its seventh decade and she became frail, the queen carried on, never taking the step that led to her inheriting the throne, leaving Edward VIII as the only British monarch to ever voluntarily abdicate, and making her son, Charles, the oldest person to ever assume the throne, at 73.

The line of succession: Prince William is now the heir to the throne.

When the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday elevated her son Charles to the British throne, it also reordered the line of succession, with members of the royal family each moving up one position.

Prince William , 40, the eldest son of King Charles III, is now next in line to the throne.

William’s three children — Prince George, 9; Princess Charlotte, 7; and Prince Louis, 4 — follow him in the succession order. William’s brother, Prince Harry , the Duke of Sussex, is now fifth in line, but he has taken a step back from royal duties. Harry, 37, and his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, moved to the United States two years ago after saying that they wanted to become financially independent.

The couple have spoken openly about the intense scrutiny they faced from the British tabloid press and the toll this took on their mental health, and have alleged that members of the royal family made racist comments about their son , Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, 3, who is now sixth in line to the throne. The couple’s daughter, Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor, 1, who is named after the affectionate nickname given to the queen by her family, is seventh in line.

Prince Andrew, 62, the queen’s third child, is eighth in line to the throne, but stepped away from royal duties in 2019 after giving an interview to the BBC about his links to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself in prison in New York City while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

The rules of succession were changed in 2013 to prevent younger male siblings from overtaking their elder sisters in line to the throne. The change was made two months before William’s second child, Charlotte, was born, and meant that she retained her position in line to the throne when her younger brother, Louis, was born.

The New Royal Line of Succession

The death of Queen Elizabeth II has elevated her son Charles to the throne, with Prince William next in line.

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Mourners line roads as Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin makes final journey through Scotland

LONDON (AP) — Queen Elizabeth II’s flag-draped coffin is passing through the rugged Scottish countryside Sunday on a final journey from her beloved summer estate Balmoral Castle to London, with mourners quietly lining roads and some tossing flowers to honor the  monarch who died after 70 years  on the throne.

The hearse drove past piles of bouquets and other tributes as it led a seven-car cortege from Balmoral, where the  queen died Thursday , for a six-hour trip through Scottish towns to Holyroodhouse palace in Edinburgh. The late queen’s coffin was draped in the Royal Standard for Scotland and topped with a wreath made of flowers from the estate, including sweet peas, one of the queen’s favorites.

“A sad and poignant moment as Her Majesty, The Queen leaves her beloved Balmoral for the final time,” the first minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon tweeted. “Today, as she makes her journey to Edinburgh, Scotland will pay tribute to an extraordinary woman.”

Crowds lined parts of the route as the  nation mourns  its longest-reigning monarch, the only one most Britons have ever known. In the Scottish village of Ballater, where residents regard the royal family as neighbors, hundreds of people watched in silence and some threw flowers in front of the hearse as it passed.

“She meant such a lot to people in this area. People were crying, it was amazing to see,” said Victoria Pacheco, a guest house manager.

READ MORE: How to watch Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral

In each town and village the cars drove through, they were met with similar muted scenes of respect. People stood mostly in silence; some clapped politely, others pointed their phone cameras at the passing cars.

Before reaching the Scottish capital, the cortege is traveling down what is effectively a royal memory lane — passing through locations laden with House of Windsor history including Dyce, where in 1975 the queen formally opened the U.K.’s first North Sea oil pipeline, and Fife near St. Andrews University, where her grandson William, now the Prince of Wales, studied and met his future wife, Catherine.

Sunday’s solemn drive through Scotland came as the queen’s eldest son was  formally proclaimed the new monarch  — King Charles III — in the rest of the nations of the United Kingdom: Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It came a day after a pomp-filled accession ceremony in England steeped in ancient tradition and political symbolism.

“I am deeply aware of this great inheritance and of the duties and heavy responsibilities of sovereignty, which have now passed to me,” Charles said Saturday.

Just before the proclamation was read Sunday in Edinburgh, a protester appeared with a sign condemning imperialism and urging leaders to “abolish the monarchy,” getting taken away soon afterward by police. The crowd applauded.

One man shouted, “Let her go! It’s free speech!” while others shouted: “Have some respect.”

It’s a sign of how some, including the former British Empire colonies, are struggling with the legacy of the monarchy. Earlier, proclamations were read in other parts of the Commonwealth countries, including Australia and New Zealand.

Charles, even as he mourned his late mother, was getting to work at Buckingham Palace, meeting with the secretary-general and other representatives of the Commonwealth, nations grappling with affection for the queen and lingering bitterness over their colonial legacies, ranging from slavery to corporal punishment in African schools to looted artifacts held in British institutions.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who had started laying the groundwork for an Australian republic after elections in May, said Sunday that now was the time not for a change but for paying tribute to the late queen.

India, a former British colony, observed a day of state mourning, with flags lowered to half-staff on all government buildings throughout the country.

Amid the grief enveloping the House of Windsor, there were hints of a possible family reconciliation.  Prince William and his brother Harry , together with their respective wives, Catherine, Princess of Wales, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, delighted mourners near Windsor Castle with a surprise joint appearance Saturday.

The queen’s coffin will take a circuitous journey back to the capital. On Monday, it will be taken from Holyroodhouse to nearby St. Giles’ Cathedral, where it will remain until Tuesday, when it will be flown to London. The coffin will be moved from Buckingham Palace on Wednesday to the Houses of Parliament to lie in state until a state funeral at Westminster Abbey on Sept. 19.

In Ballater, the Rev. David Barr said locals consider the royals as “neighbors” and try to treat them as locals when they spend summers in the Scottish Highlands.

“When she comes up here, and she goes through those gates, I believe the royal part of her stays mostly outside,” he said. “And as she goes in, she was able to be a wife, a loving wife, a loving mum, a loving gran and then later on a loving great-gran — and aunty — and be normal.”

Elizabeth Taylor, from Aberdeen, had tears in her eyes after the hearse carrying the queen’s coffin passed through Ballater.

“It was very emotional. It was respectful and showed what they think of the queen,” she said. “She certainly gave service to this country even up until a few days before her death.”

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Queen elizabeth ii's coffin makes journey through scotland.

EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) — In a somber, regal procession, Queen Elizabeth II ’s flag-draped coffin was driven slowly through the Scottish countryside Sunday from her beloved Balmoral Castle to the Scottish capital of Edinburgh. Mourners packed city streets and highway bridges or lined rural roads with cars and tractors to take part in a historic goodbye to the monarch who had reigned for 70 years .

The hearse drove past piles of bouquets and other tributes as it led a seven-car cortege from Balmoral, where the queen died Thursday at 96, for a six-hour trip through Scottish towns to Holyroodhouse palace in Edinburgh. The late queen’s coffin was draped in the Royal Standard for Scotland and topped with a wreath made of flowers from the estate, including sweet peas, one of the queen’s favorites.

The procession was a huge event for Scotland as the U.K. takes days to mourn its longest-reigning monarch, the only one most Britons have ever known. People turned out hours early to grab a space by the police barricades in Edinburgh. By afternoon, the crowds were 10 people deep.

“I think she has been an ever-constant in my life. She was the queen I was born under, and she has always been there,” said Angus Ruthven, a 54-year-old civil servant from Edinburgh. “I think it is going to take a lot of adjusting that she is not here.”

Silence fell on the packed Royal Mile in Edinburgh as the hearse carrying the queen arrived. But as the convoy vanished from view, the crowd spontaneously started clapping.

“A very historic moment. I am quite speechless actually,” said Fiona Moffat, a 57-year-old office manager from Glasgow. “She was a lovely lady. Great mother, grandmother. She did well. I am very proud of her.”

When the hearse reached Holyroodhouse, members of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, wearing green tartan kilts, carried the coffin past the queen’s youngest three children —Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward — into the throne room, where it was to remain until Monday afternoon so staff can pay their last respects.

King Charles III and his Queen Consort Camilla will travel Monday to Edinburgh to join another solemn procession that takes the queen’s coffin to St. Giles Cathedral on the city’s Royal Mile. There the coffin will remain for 24 hours so the Scottish public can pay their respects before it is flown to London on Tuesday.

The first village the cortege passed through was Ballater, where residents regard the royal family as neighbors. Hundreds of people watched in silence. Some threw flowers in front of the hearse.

“She meant such a lot to people in this area. People were crying, it was amazing to see,” said Victoria Pacheco, a guest house manager.

In each Scottish town and village, the entourage was met with respect. People stood mostly in silence; some clapped politely, others pointed their phone cameras at the passing cars. In Aberdeenshire, farmers lined the route with an honor guard of tractors.

Along the route, the cortege passed through locations laden with House of Windsor history. Those included Dyce, where in 1975 the queen formally opened the U.K.’s first North Sea oil pipeline, and Fife, near St. Andrews University, where her grandson Prince William, now the Prince of Wales, studied and met his future wife, Catherine.

Sunday’s solemn drive came as the queen’s eldest son was formally proclaimed the new monarch — King Charles III — in the rest of the United Kingdom: Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It came a day after a pomp-filled accession ceremony in England.

“I am deeply aware of this great inheritance and of the duties and heavy responsibilities of sovereignty, which have now passed to me,” Charles said Saturday.

Just before the proclamation was read Sunday in Edinburgh, a protester appeared with a sign condemning imperialism and urging leaders to “abolish the monarchy.” She was taken away by police. Reaction was mixed. One man shouted, “Let her go! It’s free speech!” while others shouted: “Have some respect!”

Still, there was some booing in Edinburgh when Joseph Morrow, Lord Lyon King of Arms, finished his proclamation with “God save the king!”

That upset Ann Hamilton, 48.

“There’s tens of thousands of people here today to show their respect. For them to be here, heckling through things, I think it was terrible. If they were so against it, they shouldn’t have come,” she said.

Still, it was a sign of how some, including people in Britain’s former colonies, are struggling with the legacy of the monarchy — and its future.

Earlier in the day, proclamations were read in other parts of the Commonwealth, including Australia and New Zealand.

Charles, even as he mourned his late mother, got to work at Buckingham Palace, meeting with the secretary-general and other Commonwealth envoys. Many in those nations are grappling with both affection for the queen and lingering bitterness over their colonial legacies , which ranged from slavery to corporal punishment in African schools to looted artifacts held in British cultural institutions.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who is in favor of an Australian republic, said Sunday that now was not the time for a change but for paying tribute to the late queen. India, a former British colony, observed a day of state mourning, with flags lowered to half-staff.

Amid the grief enveloping the House of Windsor, there were hints of a possible family reconciliation. Prince William and his brother Harry , together with their respective wives, Catherine, Princess of Wales, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, delighted mourners near Windsor Castle with a surprise joint appearance Saturday.

The queen’s coffin was taking a circuitous journey back to the capital. After it is flown to London on Tuesday, the coffin will be moved from Buckingham Palace on Wednesday to the Houses of Parliament to lie in state until a state funeral at Westminster Abbey on Sept. 19.

In Ballater, the Rev. David Barr said locals consider the royal family as neighbors.

“When she comes up here, and she goes through those gates, I believe the royal part of her stays mostly outside,” he said of the queen. “And as she goes in, she was able to be a wife, a loving wife, a loving mum, a loving gran and then later on a loving great-gran — and aunty — and be normal.”

Elizabeth Taylor, from Aberdeen, had tears in her eyes after the hearse passed through Ballater.

“It was very emotional. It was respectful and showed what they think of the queen,” she said. “She certainly gave service to this country, even up until a few days before her death.”

Corder reported from London.

Follow AP coverage of Queen Elizabeth II at https://apnews.com/hub/queen-elizabeth-ii

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Queen Elizabeth's coffin arrives in Edinburgh ahead of a final journey to London

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Robert Griffiths

Frank Langfitt

Pallbearers carry the coffin of late Britain's Queen Elizabeth II covered with the Royal Standard of Scotland, at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, in Edinburgh. Alkis Konstantinidis/Pool/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

Pallbearers carry the coffin of late Britain's Queen Elizabeth II covered with the Royal Standard of Scotland, at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, in Edinburgh.

A cortege carrying Queen Elizabeth II's coffin arrived at the royal Palace of Holyroodhouse in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh on Sunday after traveling the 100-mile journey from Balmoral Castle.

The convoy carrying the queen from the royal estate where she died began slowly snaking through the hills and forests of the Scottish highlands. The route took her through villages and towns which were lined by her subjects.

Members of the public gather along the Royal Mile to watch the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, as it is driven through Edinburgh towards the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Jamie Williamson/Pool/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence (left) Britain's Prince Andrew, Duke of York (second left), Britain's Princess Anne, Princess Royal (center), Britain's Sophie, Countess of Wessex (second right) and Britain's Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex await the arrival of the hearse carrying the coffin of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Aaron Chown/Pool/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

People gather in tribute as the cortege carrying the coffin of the late Queen Elizabeth II passes by in Banchory, Scotland. Peter Summers/Getty Images hide caption

People gather in tribute as the cortege carrying the coffin of the late Queen Elizabeth II passes by in Banchory, Scotland.

Children gather along the streets as they wait to view the cortege carrying the coffin of the late Queen Elizabeth II in Ballater, Scotland. Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images hide caption

Children gather along the streets as they wait to view the cortege carrying the coffin of the late Queen Elizabeth II in Ballater, Scotland.

Flowers and pictures of the late Queen Elizabeth II are placed outside of the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Flowers and pictures of the late Queen Elizabeth II are placed outside of the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.

The guard of honour from the King's Bodyguard for Scotland (Royal Company of Archers) arrive at the Palace of Holyrood House ahead of the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II. Aaron Chown/AP hide caption

Members of the public gather in Princes Street Gardens to observe the Death Gun Salute fired by 105th Regiment Royal Artillery at Edinburgh Castle. Lesley Martin/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Members of the public pay their respects as they hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland, is driven through Ballater. Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Elaine Weir, a bank worker from Glasgow, came with her two daughters to watch the cortege pass down the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.

"We all know how much Scotland meant to the Queen , so I think it is lovely for us to be here to witness this event in Scotland, in the capital," she told NPR.

Gamekeepers from the summer retreat Balmoral, where the queen died on Thursday after 70 years on the throne, carried the late sovereign's oak coffin from the castle's ballroom to a hearse. The hearse drove out of the gates of Balmoral past piles of flowers left by the public.

Members of the armed services march near St. Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland. Jon Super/AP hide caption

Members of the armed services march near St. Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Spectators watch as the cortege with the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II drives on the M90 motorway as it makes its journey to Edinburgh from Balmoral in Scotland. Alastair Grant/AP hide caption

Spectators watch as the cortege with the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II crosses the Queensferry Bridge. Alastair Grant/AP hide caption

The coffin of the late Queen Elizabeth II is being transported Sunday on a journey from Balmoral to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, where it will lie at rest before being moved to London later in the week. Jon Super/AP hide caption

The coffin of the late Queen Elizabeth II is being transported Sunday on a journey from Balmoral to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, where it will lie at rest before being moved to London later in the week.

Members of the public stand on a bridge, in Kinross, overlooking the M90 motorway, to pay their respects as they look at the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II. Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

The Princess Royal and her husband Admiral Sir Tim Laurence travel behind the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II. Paul Campbell /PA Images via Getty Images hide caption

The Princess Royal and her husband Admiral Sir Tim Laurence travel behind the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on Thursday. She is succeeded by her eldest son, King Charles III. Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images hide caption

Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on Thursday. She is succeeded by her eldest son, King Charles III.

In Scotland, there is respect for the queen but skepticism for the institution of monarchy.

Heather McGrath, a chef who lives in Glasgow, told NPR she thinks the royal family is redundant.

"We don't really need them. It's just like it's a tourist attraction more than anything."

Heather McGrath, 38, who works as a pastry chef in Glasgow, supports Scottish independence and does not support the monarchy. Frank Langfitt/NPR hide caption

Heather McGrath, 38, who works as a pastry chef in Glasgow, supports Scottish independence and does not support the monarchy.

A Scottish nationalist, McGrath voted for independence in the 2014 referendum and said she would do so again if she gets the chance.

For others, though, the cortege felt personal and historic. Terry Rigby, a retired air traffic controller, brought his grandson to watch in the town of Banchory.

Terry Rigby, 72, a retired air traffic controller, brought his grandson, River, 11, to watch the queen's funeral cortege pass through the Scottish town of Banchory. Frank Langfitt/NPR hide caption

Terry Rigby, 72, a retired air traffic controller, brought his grandson, River, 11, to watch the queen's funeral cortege pass through the Scottish town of Banchory.

Rigby said he had celebrated the queen's coronation in 1953 outside Buckingham Palace.

"I was sitting on my father's shoulders," Rigby recalled. "That was her first journey. This is the last."

Police officers wait for Queen Elizabeth II's coffin on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. Peter Byrne /PA Images via Getty Images hide caption

Police officers wait for Queen Elizabeth II's coffin on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.

People hold flowers as they wait to view the cortege carrying the coffin of the late Queen Elizabeth II in Ballater, Scotland. Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images hide caption

People hold flowers as they wait to view the cortege carrying the coffin of the late Queen Elizabeth II in Ballater, Scotland.

The hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, which is covered with the Royal Standard of Scotland and flowers, is driven away from Balmoral Castle in Ballater. Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

The hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, which is covered with the Royal Standard of Scotland and flowers, is driven away from Balmoral Castle in Ballater.

The queen's death kicked off a series of events that will last more than a week before her funeral, scheduled to take place Sept. 19 . On Monday, she'll be conveyed from the palace to nearby St. Giles' Cathedral to lie at rest before being flown to London on Tuesday.

Over the weekend, the queen's eldest son was formally proclaimed the new monarch — King Charles III — at an accession ceremony .

"I am deeply aware of this great inheritance and of the duties and heavy responsibilities of sovereignty, which have now passed to me," he said.

The hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped with the Royal Standard of Scotland, leaves Balmoral as it begins its journey to Edinburgh. Owen Humphreys /PA Images via Getty Images hide caption

The hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped with the Royal Standard of Scotland, leaves Balmoral as it begins its journey to Edinburgh.

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Queen's coffin to be taken on road journey to Edinburgh

Cortege will leave Balmoral on Sunday morning as thousands prepare to line the streets.

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More on this story, edinburgh road and school closures ahead of arrival of queen's coffin, king charles declares bank holiday on day of queen's funeral, king charles iii formally declared as head of state, queen's funeral to be held on monday, september 19.

The Queen is to begin her final journey through Scotland on Sunday as thousands prepare to line the streets in mourning.

Her coffin – accompanied by her daughter Princess Anne – will leave Balmoral at 10am before arriving at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh around six hours later.

The cortege will make its way through Aberdeen, Angus and Tayside on its journey to the capital.

The Queen will remain at the palace overnight, before on Monday her coffin is taken on a procession up the Royal Mile to St Giles’ Cathedral, where she will rest for 24 hours.

Members of the public will be allowed to pass by and pay their respects before she is taken to London on Tuesday ahead of her funeral on Monday, September 19 .

Officials said the events in Scotland between Sunday and Tuesday were on an “unprecedented scale” and urged wellwishers to find a safe vantage point.

Stein Connelly, Transport Scotland operator manager, said: “Even the recent COP26 gathering in Glasgow cannot match the amount of preparation and planning that has gone into this operation.

“Every effort will be made to minimise disruption to the travelling public, but significant delays are expected. There will be an enormous influx of people into Edinburgh, Dundee, Perth wanting to stand to see the cortege passing.

“Check the route and if you want to travel to a suitable location to show your respects then plan ahead, make sure you give plenty of time for your journey and make sure it is safe where you are going.”

Charles III was formally made the UK’s head of state on Saturday, when his role as King and name he will use was confirmed during a meeting of the Accession Council at St James’s Palace in London.

Mourners pay respects

Thousands of mourners have already left floral tributes outside both Balmoral and Holyrood.

Outside her Edinburgh residence, a table had been set up where two security guards were cutting the plastic off bunches of flowers so that people could lay them on the ground.

Stewards and police officers said the plastic was being removed for environmental reasons and to make it easier to replant the flowers later on.

Notes and other gifts had also been left at the gates, while it was a similar scene in Aberdeenshire as busloads of people from across the country arrived to pay their final respects.

Key points in journey

Aberdeenshire event

After leaving Balmoral Castle the royal cortege will pass along Deeside, reaching Ballater just after 10am for the Aberdeenshire tribute, attended by the Lord-Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire, as well as senior officers and councillors. 

It will then travel along the A93, through Aboyne, Banchory and Drumoak. People wishing to see the cortege are asked to stand where it is safe to do so at these locations and when it passes again through Aberdeenshire as it moves south on the A90. Settlements along the corridor will also be stewarded.

Aberdeen event

The cortege will follow the A93 and enter Aberdeen at around 11am, following North Deeside Road and then travelling through Cults. It will proceed along Great Western Road to its junction with Holburn Street, passing Duthie Park, South Anderson Drive.

The Lord Provost of Aberdeen, in his role as Lord-Lieutenant, will lead a tribute at Duthie Park at around 11.20am, joined by civic dignitaries from Aberdeen including deputy lieutenants, council leaders, other elected members and the council chief executive.

Members of the public are invited to pay their respects at the ceremony at Duthie Park, or at the south-western corner of the junction with Great Western Road, Willowbank Road and Holburn Street and on footpaths along the route. Disabled viewing will be at the junction of Allenvale Road and Great Southern Road.

Temporary road restrictions will be in place from 6am, the day before the event. Temporary toilets for public use will be located at the main event arena. 

Dundee event

The cortege will follow the A90 to Dundee, arriving at the boundary around 2pm, before proceeding west on the Kingsway to the Swallow roundabout.

Members of the public are being invited to pay their respects in standing areas along the A90 Forfar Road and Kingsway.

Civic dignitaries from across Tayside and Fife, including Lord-Lieutenants, Lord Provost, Provosts, council leaders, other elected members and council chief executives will pay their own respects from a dais prior to the cortege leaving the city.

There will be rolling road closures along the route and very limited additional parking. Stewards will guide members of the public to parking sites and safe standing areas.

All the pavements along the route in Edinburgh will be lined with barriers to allow the public to view from there. The Edinburgh route will stretch from north of the city to the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

Members of the public are asked to check Transport Scotland, Aberdeenshire Council, Aberdeen City Council, Dundee City Council and The City of Edinburgh Council for local route advice and further safety messaging before leaving home.

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Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin takes long road through Scotland

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, have joined Prince William and his wife Kate at Windsor Castle to view floral tributes left by the public in honor of Queen Elizabeth II. (Sept. 10)

The hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped with the Royal Standard of Scotland, passes the City Chambers on the Royal Mile, Edinburgh, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022 on the journey from Balmoral to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, where it will lie in rest for a day. (Jane Barlow/Pool Photo via AP)

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The hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped with the Royal Standard of Scotland, passes along Canongate towards the Royal Mile as it completes its journey from Balmoral to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, where it will lie in rest for a day, Sunday Sept. 11, 2022. (Jacob King/Pool Photo via AP)

People watch the Queens cortege with the hearse containing her coffin on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. The coffin of the late Queen Elizabeth II is being transported Sunday on a journey from Balmoral to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, where it will lie at rest before being moved to London later in the week. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

The hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped with the Royal Standard of Scotland, passes down the Royal Mile, Edinburgh, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022 on the journey from Balmoral to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, where it will lie in rest for a day. (Jane Barlow/Pool Photo via AP)

Pallbearers carry the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped with the Royal Standard of Scotland, as it arrives at Holyroodhouse, where it will lie in rest for a day, in Edinburgh, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and a rock of stability across much of a turbulent century, died Thursday Sept. 8, 2022, after 70 years on the throne. She was 96. (Alkis Konstantinidis/Pool Photo via AP)

The coffin containing the body of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II leaves Balmoral Castle in Scotland, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. The Queen’s coffin will be transported Sunday on a journey from Balmoral to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, where it will lie at rest before being moved to London later in the week. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Members of the public line the streets in Ballater, Scotland, as the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II passes through as it makes its journey to Edinburgh from Balmoral in Scotland, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. The Queen’s coffin will be transported Sunday on a journey from Balmoral to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, where it will lie at rest before being moved to London later in the week. (Andrew Milligan/PA via AP)

People watch the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped with the Royal Standard of Scotland, after it crossed Friarton Bridge as it continues its journey to Edinburgh from Balmoral, in Perth, Scotland, Sunday Sept. 11, 2022. Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and a rock of stability across much of a turbulent century, died Thursday Sept. 8, 2022, after 70 years on the throne. She was 96. (Andrew Milligan/PA via AP)

Spectators watch as the cortege with the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II drives on the M90 motorway as it makes its journey to Edinburgh from Balmoral in Scotland, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. The Queen’s coffin is being transported Sunday on a journey from Balmoral to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, where it will lie at rest before being moved to London later in the week. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Members of the public await the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, passing through Dundee, Scotland, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022, as it continues its journey to Edinburgh from Balmoral. (Michael Boyd/PA via AP)

The hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped with the Royal Standard of Scotland, passing over the Queensferry Crossing in Scotland, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022, as it continues its journey to Edinburgh from Balmoral. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)

Members of the public at Friarton Bridge in Perth, Scotland, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022 wait for arrival of the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, as it continues its journey to Edinburgh from Balmoral. (Andrew Milligan/PA via AP)

From left, Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, Prince Andrew, Princess Anne, Sophie the Countess of Wessex and Prince Edward watch as the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped with the Royal Standard of Scotland, completes its journey from Balmoral to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where it will lie in rest for a day, in Edinburgh, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and a rock of stability across much of a turbulent century, died Thursday Sept. 8, 2022, after 70 years on the throne. She was 96. (Aaron Chown/Pool Photo via AP)

From second right, Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Sophie, Countess of Wessex watch as the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped with the Royal Standard of Scotland, completes its journey from Balmoral to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where it will lie in rest for a day, in Edinburgh, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and a rock of stability across much of a turbulent century, died Thursday Sept. 8, 2022, after 70 years on the throne. She was 96. (Aaron Chown/Pool Photo via AP)

CAPTION CORRECTS BYLINE Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence and Princess Anne stand solemnly as the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped with the Royal Standard of Scotland, as it arrives at Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, where it will lie in rest for a day, Sunday Sept. 11, 2022. (Aaron Chown/Pool Photo via AP)

A man holds up a sign among members of the public attending a public Proclamation to announce the Accession of King Charles III, outside St Giles Cathedral, on the Royal Mile, in Edinburgh, Scotland, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, died Thursday Sept. 8, 2022, after 70 years on the throne. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Crowds of people walk to Windsor Castle to bring flowers, in Windsor, England, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch died Thursday Sept. 8, 2022, after 70 years on the throne. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Lance Corporal Shenkin IV, the regimental mascot goat, accompanies the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Welsh regiment at the Accession Proclamation Ceremony at Cardiff Castle, Wales, publicly proclaiming King Charles III as the new monarch, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP)

The Union Jack is set on half-mast at a church outside Windsor Castle, in Windsor, England, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch died Thursday Sept. 8, 2022, after 70 years on the throne. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

King Charles III during a reception with Realm High Commissioners and their spouses in the Bow Room at Buckingham Palace, London, Sunday Sept. 11, 2022. (Victoria Jones/Pool Photo via AP)

Flowers and posters for Queen Elizabeth II in front of Buckingham Palace, in London, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

People wait in line to lay flowers for Queen Elizabeth II in front of Buckingham Palace, in London, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

Neil Pollard arrives with his three year old son Bruce, dressed as a King’s Guard, at Windsor Castle to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, in Windsor, England, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and a rock of stability across much of a turbulent century, died Thursday Sept. 8, 2022, after 70 years on the throne. She was 96. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Well-wishers outside Buckingham Palace, London, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Sunday Sept. 11, 2022. (James Manning/PA via AP)

People gather at flowers and messages to tribute Queen Elizabeth II, in front of Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and a rock of stability across much of a turbulent century, died Thursday Sept. 8, 2022, after 70 years on the throne. She was 96. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) — In a somber, regal procession, Queen Elizabeth II’s flag-draped coffin was driven slowly through the Scottish countryside Sunday from her beloved Balmoral Castle to the Scottish capital of Edinburgh. Mourners packed city streets and highway bridges or lined rural roads with cars and tractors to take part in a historic goodbye to the monarch who had reigned for 70 years .

The hearse drove past piles of bouquets and other tributes as it led a seven-car cortege from Balmoral, where the queen died Thursday at 96, for a six-hour trip through Scottish towns to Holyroodhouse palace in Edinburgh. The late queen’s coffin was draped in the Royal Standard for Scotland and topped with a wreath made of flowers from the estate, including sweet peas, one of the queen’s favorites.

The procession was a huge event for Scotland as the U.K. takes days to mourn its longest-reigning monarch, the only one most Britons have ever known. People turned out hours early to grab a space by the police barricades in Edinburgh. By afternoon, the crowds were 10 people deep.

“I think she has been an ever-constant in my life. She was the queen I was born under, and she has always been there,” said Angus Ruthven, a 54-year-old civil servant from Edinburgh. “I think it is going to take a lot of adjusting that she is not here.”

Silence fell on the packed Royal Mile in Edinburgh as the hearse carrying the queen arrived. But as the convoy vanished from view, the crowd spontaneously started clapping.

“A very historic moment. I am quite speechless actually,” said Fiona Moffat, a 57-year-old office manager from Glasgow. “She was a lovely lady. Great mother, grandmother. She did well. I am very proud of her.”

When the hearse reached Holyroodhouse, members of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, wearing green tartan kilts, carried the coffin past the queen’s youngest three children —Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward — into the throne room, where it was to remain until Monday afternoon so staff can pay their last respects.

King Charles III and his Queen Consort Camilla will travel Monday to Edinburgh to join another solemn procession that takes the queen’s coffin to St. Giles Cathedral on the city’s Royal Mile. There the coffin will remain for 24 hours so the Scottish public can pay their respects before it is flown to London on Tuesday.

The first village the cortege passed through was Ballater, where residents regard the royal family as neighbors. Hundreds of people watched in silence. Some threw flowers in front of the hearse.

“She meant such a lot to people in this area. People were crying, it was amazing to see,” said Victoria Pacheco, a guest house manager.

In each Scottish town and village, the entourage was met with respect. People stood mostly in silence; some clapped politely, others pointed their phone cameras at the passing cars. In Aberdeenshire, farmers lined the route with an honor guard of tractors.

Along the route, the cortege passed through locations laden with House of Windsor history. Those included Dyce, where in 1975 the queen formally opened the U.K.’s first North Sea oil pipeline, and Fife, near St. Andrews University, where her grandson Prince William, now the Prince of Wales, studied and met his future wife, Catherine.

Sunday’s solemn drive came as the queen’s eldest son was formally proclaimed the new monarch — King Charles III — in the rest of the United Kingdom: Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It came a day after a pomp-filled accession ceremony in England.

“I am deeply aware of this great inheritance and of the duties and heavy responsibilities of sovereignty, which have now passed to me,” Charles said Saturday.

Just before the proclamation was read Sunday in Edinburgh, a protester appeared with a sign condemning imperialism and urging leaders to “abolish the monarchy.” She was taken away by police. Reaction was mixed. One man shouted, “Let her go! It’s free speech!” while others shouted: “Have some respect!”

Still, there was some booing in Edinburgh when Joseph Morrow, Lord Lyon King of Arms, finished his proclamation with “God save the king!”

That upset Ann Hamilton, 48.

“There’s tens of thousands of people here today to show their respect. For them to be here, heckling through things, I think it was terrible. If they were so against it, they shouldn’t have come,” she said.

Still, it was a sign of how some, including people in Britain’s former colonies, are struggling with the legacy of the monarchy — and its future.

Earlier in the day, proclamations were read in other parts of the Commonwealth, including Australia and New Zealand.

Charles, even as he mourned his late mother, got to work at Buckingham Palace, meeting with the secretary-general and other Commonwealth envoys. Many in those nations are grappling with both affection for the queen and lingering bitterness over their colonial legacies , which ranged from slavery to corporal punishment in African schools to looted artifacts held in British cultural institutions.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who is in favor of an Australian republic, said Sunday that now was not the time for a change but for paying tribute to the late queen. India, a former British colony, observed a day of state mourning, with flags lowered to half-staff.

Amid the grief enveloping the House of Windsor, there were hints of a possible family reconciliation. Prince William and his brother Harry , together with their respective wives, Catherine, Princess of Wales, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, delighted mourners near Windsor Castle with a surprise joint appearance Saturday.

The queen’s coffin was taking a circuitous journey back to the capital. After it is flown to London on Tuesday, the coffin will be moved from Buckingham Palace on Wednesday to the Houses of Parliament to lie in state until a state funeral at Westminster Abbey on Sept. 19.

In Ballater, the Rev. David Barr said locals consider the royal family as neighbors.

“When she comes up here, and she goes through those gates, I believe the royal part of her stays mostly outside,” he said of the queen. “And as she goes in, she was able to be a wife, a loving wife, a loving mum, a loving gran and then later on a loving great-gran — and aunty — and be normal.”

Elizabeth Taylor, from Aberdeen, had tears in her eyes after the hearse passed through Ballater.

“It was very emotional. It was respectful and showed what they think of the queen,” she said. “She certainly gave service to this country, even up until a few days before her death.”

Corder reported from London.

Follow AP coverage of Queen Elizabeth II at https://apnews.com/hub/queen-elizabeth-ii

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Queen Elizabeth death: A day-to-day guide on processions through Scotland and London as part of 'Operation Unicorn'

• The Queen's death has launched "Operation Unicorn," a plan that details her coffin's route. 
• The Queen's body is currently in Edinburgh, Scotland, where the public can pay their respects.
• Her coffin will be moved to London on Tuesday ahead of the funeral of September 19.

Queen Elizabeth 's coffin is currently at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh, where it will lie at rest before being moved to London on Tuesday evening.

Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in the Scottish Highlands on Thursday. She was 96.

From Balmoral, the Queen's body was driven in a hearse 102 miles to Edinburgh, with Princess Anne following in the car behind . It was the first journey of many that were set in motion as part of a plan named "Operation Unicorn," which details the exact route her coffin will take before her September 19 funeral.

As Insider previously reported, arrangements for handling the Queen's death were originally named "Operation London Bridge" if she died in England and "Operation Unicorn" if it happened in Scotland. The mythical creature is the country's national animal , according to the National Trust for Scotland.

Here is a day-by-day look at all the stops included in Operation Unicorn.

September 11: The Queen's hearse made 5 stops in Scotland

The Queen's body was driven from Balmoral Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the royal family's official residence in Edinburgh on Sunday, September 11. The hearse stopped briefly at three points — in Ballater, Aberdeen, and Dundee — where the public were invited to pay their respects, The Telegraph reported .

After arriving in Edinburgh, Anne and other members of the royal family gathered outside the palace as the Queen's coffin was delivered.  Princess Anne curtsied as the coffin was carried inside.

The coffin remained in the palace's Throne Room until the following day, when it was delivered to St Giles' Cathedral. 

September 12 - 13: King Charles led a procession from the palace to St Giles'

On Monday, King Charles led a procession behind the Queen's coffin as it was transported from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles' Cathedral on the Royal Mile.

Charles and members of the royal family attended a Service of Thanksgiving followed by vigil at the cathedral, where the king and his siblings stood guard around the coffin.

On Monday afternoon, an estimated 20,000 mourners joined a mile-long queue  to pay their respects to the monarch at St Giles' Cathedral, according to the  BBC . People lined up overnight to visit the coffin before it is transported to London. The coffin will travel from Edinburgh Airport via RAF aircraft and will be accompanied by Princess Anne, according to a palace press release.

The Queen's coffin will lie at rest in Buckingham Palace's Bow Room overnight, the release states.

September 14: A procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall

On Wednesday, a procession will take place from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, where the Queen's body will remain for five days.

After the arrival of the coffin, the Archbishop of Canterbury will conduct a short service attended by the king and members of the royal family, the press release states.

September 15 - 18: The public are invited to pay their respects

The coffin will be guarded 24 hours per day by soldiers from units that serve the Royal Household, according to BBC News. During this time, the public are invited to visit and pay their respects. 

Recent guidance from the UK government  said queues at Westminster are expected to be "very long," adding that visitors "will need to stand for many hours, possibly overnight, with very little opportunity to sit down, as the queue will keep moving."

September 19: The Queen's funeral

The monarch's funeral will take place on Monday, September 19 at Westminster Abbey, according to a press release. Although it is not yet known how many people will be in attendance, the venue can hold up to 2,000 guests , according to Sky News, and various world leaders are expected to have been invited . President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden have received two invitations , according to CNN . 

The final procession will take place after the funeral service. The Queen's coffin will travel in a procession from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch before finally being taken to St George's Chapel in Windsor, where Her Majesty will be buried, according to the palace.

She will be laid to rest at St George's Chapel next to her husband Philip.

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Queen's coffin begins journey through Scotland

A hearse carrying the late Queen Elizabeth II's oak coffin has left her beloved Balmoral Castle. The state funeral for Queen Elizabeth II will take place on Monday Sept. 19 at Westminster Abbey in London. (Sep. 11)

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