Queen Elizabeth's coffin arrives in Edinburgh as mourners line streets

Queen Elizabeth's coffin arrived successful Edinburgh connected Sunday aft a six-hour travel from her summertime location successful the Scottish Highlands, past tens of thousands of mourners lining the route, galore successful somber silence, immoderate applauding and others successful tears.

Shortly aft 10 a.m. (0900 GMT), a hearse carrying Elizabeth's oak coffin emerged from the gates of Balmoral Castle, wherever she died connected Thursday aged 96, astatine the commencement of a dilatory thrust to the Scottish capital.

The coffin was draped successful the Royal Standard of Scotland with a wreath connected apical made of flowers taken from the Balmoral property including saccharine peas, 1 of Elizabeth's favorites.

Crowds, 15 heavy successful places, massed successful the halfway of Edinburgh to greet the cortege, which included the queen's daughter, Princess Anne, arsenic it made it mode to the Palace of Holyroodhouse wherever it was met by a subject defender of honor.

Soldiers from the Royal Regiment of Scotland past carried the coffin to the throne country of the palace wherever it volition stay overnight.

"There was nary mode I could miss this. I would regret it for the remainder of my life," said Eilidh Mackintosh, 62, who near her location astatine 6 a.m. to beryllium definite of a bully presumption connected Edinburgh's celebrated Royal Mile wherever ample crowds were gathering.

"She ne'er fto america down and I didn't privation to fto her down either. Now she has gone determination is simply a large spread successful the bosom of the nation."

The travel from Balmoral was the archetypal of a bid of events starring up to the authorities ceremonial astatine Westminster Abbey successful London connected Sept. 19.

In an affectional tribute to his parent connected Friday, the caller monarch, King Charles, said she had begun a "last large journey" to articulation Prince Philip, her hubby of 73 years who died past year.

Her decease has drawn tears, sadness and lukewarm tributes, not conscionable from the queen's ain adjacent household and galore successful Britain, but besides from astir the globe — reflecting her beingness connected the satellite signifier for 7 decades.

Wherever the cortege went arsenic it coiled its mode done picturesque countryside, villages, tiny towns and cities, radical lined the roadworthy oregon stopped their cars to get retired and watch. At 1 point, it passed a defender of grant formed by dozens of tractors lined up successful adjacent fields by farmers.

Many watched silently successful the agleam sunshine. Some threw flowers into the road. For others, the emotion of the infinitesimal moved them to tears. "It's conscionable very, precise sad. I'm blessed I was present to accidental our goodbyes," said Elizabeth Alexander, 69, who was calved connected the time the queen was crowned successful 1953.

Many thousands are continuing to stitchery astatine different royal palaces crossed Britain, and ample piles of flowers are massing arsenic radical sojourn to wage their respects.

Charles became king instantly aft his mother's decease and was officially proclaimed the caller monarch astatine a ceremonial connected Saturday, afloat of pageantry and centuries-old traditions.

Similar proclamations are pursuing crossed the United Kingdom and the different 14 realms of which Charles is present caput of state, including Australia, Canada, Jamaica, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said parliament would beryllium recalled connected Thursday to let members to wage tribute.

The queen came to the throne pursuing the decease of her begetter King George VI connected Feb. 6, 1952, erstwhile she was conscionable 25. Her coronation took spot a twelvemonth later.

While Elizabeth's decease was not wholly unexpected fixed her property and deteriorating health, determination was inactive a consciousness of daze astatine the news.

"We each thought she was invincible," her grandson Prince William, present the heir to the throne, told a well-wisher connected Saturday arsenic helium met crowds astatine Windsor castle.

The time of Elizabeth's ceremonial volition beryllium a nationalist vacation successful Britain, officials person announced. U.S. President Joe Biden said helium would beryllium there, though afloat details of the lawsuit and the attendees person not yet been released.

Before that, her coffin volition beryllium flown to London and determination volition beryllium a somber procession erstwhile it is aboriginal moved from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall wherever it volition prevarication successful authorities for 4 days.

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

Truss, whose assignment arsenic premier curate connected Tuesday was the queen's past nationalist act, volition articulation King Charles arsenic some the caller caput of authorities and premier curate circuit the 4 nations of the United Kingdom successful the adjacent fewer days.

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

Elizabeth's decease has capped a hard mates of years for the royal family.

The astir high-profile contented has progressive her grandson Prince Harry and his woman Meghan, who stepped down from royal beingness successful 2020 to determination to California, wherever they some person heavy criticized the institution.

That has near them alienated from the remainder of the family, with Harry and his older member William said to beryllium hardly connected speaking terms. But the decease of their grandma has seen differences enactment aside, arsenic they appeared unneurotic with their wives extracurricular Windsor Castle to conscionable the crowds connected Saturday.

A royal root described it arsenic an important amusement of unity astatine an incredibly hard clip for the family.