The coffin currently lies in the ballroom, draped in the Royal Standard. It will remain there for two days before being taken to the Palace of Holyrood House in Edinburgh. It will then be flown back to London later this week. The ballroom held special memories for the Queen, whose affection for the Highlands was well known. There she danced at the age of 12 as a young princess at the Ghillies Ball, an annual ball at Balmoral for the staff, which she watched enthusiastically for years. The annual ball has been a tradition since 1852, when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert first acquired the estate. It was their way of thanking staff for their hard work and dedication and it’s a tradition that has lasted for over 100 years. Queen Elizabeth II was known to particularly enjoy the event and often stayed late into the night to celebrate with the staff. The footage shows her hobnobbing with Prince Philip, the Queen Mother and Charles and Diana in 1991. It was filmed as part of a documentary about the royal family and its traditions. The ball was last held in 2019, before COVID-19. Her body will remain at Balmoral for the next two days before being flown to Edinburgh to be placed in the Palace of Holyroodhouse. She will remain there for two additional days in a recumbent condition, before finally being flown back to London for her funeral on September 19. The Queen dancing with Prince Philip and the Queen Mother at the Ghillies Ball at Balmoral in 1991. The Queen’s coffin today lies in the same ballroom, draped in the Royal Standard, to allow staff to pay their respects The ballroom at Balmoral Castle is pictured above circa 1890. It has been a royal tradition to hold a Balmoral staff ball there since 1852 In recent years, the ballroom at Balmoral has been used to host art exhibitions. No ball there since 2019 The Royal Family including Prince Philip, the Queen Mother and Queen Elizabeth II at the Ghillies Ball in 1972 The Queen poses for a photograph in the drawing room at Balmoral shortly before her meeting with Ms Truss, whom she appointed as her Prime Minister. King Charles III is expected to address the nation today at 1pm. He will meet with Prime Minister Liz Truss beforehand. The Queen died yesterday afternoon at Balmoral with Charles and Princess Anne at her bedside. He was 96 years old and reigned for 70 years – the longest of any monarch. National mourning begins today. Thousands gathered at Buckingham Palace yesterday to lay flowers and send messages of condolence. At one point, a rendition of “God Save The Queen” was heard among the mourners, followed by cheers of “Long Live The King”. Others laid flowers outside Windsor Castle – where the Queen has spent much of her time since the death of her beloved husband Prince Philip in April last year. And in a sign of the Queen’s considerable global influence and appeal, royal fans laid flowers outside British embassies, including in Washington, Berlin and Oslo. A man reacts in front of Buckingham Palace, following the death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, in London, Britain, September 9, 2022 Mourners gather at Buckingham Palace to lay flowers and pay their respects on Friday Piccadilly Circus on Friday morning. The nation is now beginning a period of mourning that will last until the Queen’s funeral, which is expected to take place on Monday 19 September Huge crowds walk through Green Park towards Buckingham Palace Queen Elizabeth II on Friday morning Andrew, Edward, his wife Sophie and William flew from Berkshire by private jet to Aberdeen yesterday as they raced to Balmoral to see her off. But of course they didn’t make it in time Prince Charles and Princess Anne, who were already in Scotland at the time of the monarch’s sudden turn for the worse, managed to see her in time before she died, sources say. Prince Harry is seen leaving Aberdeen on Friday morning. King Charles III is expected to return to London today Prince Harry (pictured), who was due to attend a charity event with wife Meghan in London last night, also tried to get to Balmoral in time. But it arrived at 8pm, almost an hour and a half after the public was informed of the Queen’s death

Prince Harry was on air when Buckingham Palace announced the Queen’s death

By Sam Greenhill for the Daily Mail Prince Harry was in the air when Buckingham Palace announced the death of his beloved grandmother. He flew in by private jet from London, arriving at Balmoral an hour and a half after the historic announcement. The courtiers issued the statement at 6.30 p.m. – just over an hour after Prince William and other senior royals had arrived to join Prince Charles at the Queen’s residence. But when the world was told the saddest news, Harry’s Cessna was still in the air and approaching Aberdeen Airport. The Duke of Sussex’s flight was due to land at 6.29pm, one minute before the announcement. But it was 20 minutes late taking off from London Luton Airport – with flight details showing it departed at 5.35pm. It took one hour and 11 minutes to get to Aberdeen. By the time he landed, at 6.46pm, 16 minutes had passed since the palace’s announcement. Harry then faced a lonely route to the castle, finally arriving at 7.52pm. where he joined other members of the royal family in mourning the death of the Queen. He looked like ashes in the back seat of the Range Rover as he pulled into the Balmoral estate. In addition to the loss of a beloved grandmother, he may have been contemplating his future without her as monarch. She loved him, despite the recent challenges, and was said to have retained the ability to make her laugh. When he arrived, the home page of his and Meghan’s Archewell website had been replaced by a respectful page that had been erased with the words: “In memory of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022”. Earlier in the day there was confusion over whether Meghan was also on her way to Scotland. In the morning, it appeared that they both intended to visit Her Majesty’s residence – until the plan was changed so Harry could go alone. As senior royals scurried off to bed, a spokesman for the Sussexes was widely quoted as announcing that Meghan and Harry were on their way. The possibility has raised eyebrows behind palace doors, given recent strained relations between the Sussexes and senior royals. Meghan’s widely publicized accusations of racism within the royal family and the claim that she did not support her in palace life overshadowed the queen’s final days. Unlike the Sussexes, there was never any suggestion that the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge would go together. While William rushed north, Kate remained in London, where she was seen taking their children to their first day at their new school. Senior members of the royal family, including William, are said to have avoided his brother and his wife amid concerns that any meetings could provide material for the Duke of Sussex’s forthcoming book. Although they live in California, the Sussexes were in Europe this week on a “royal” style mini-tour, including an event in Germany for the duke’s upcoming Invictus Games. Last night they were due to attend the WellChild Awards in London, which honors the brave deeds of seriously ill children. They were not scheduled to see the Queen at all during their UK trip, but decided to go to Balmoral after learning of Her Majesty’s health, as reported yesterday morning. However, by the afternoon, the plan had suddenly taken a dramatic turn, with Meghan no longer coming. A spokesperson for the couple widely reported that Meghan will now remain in London, although she will not be attending the WellChild Awards. It is said that the duchess could potentially join Harry in Scotland later. Harry and Meghan’s children Archie and Lilybet – named after the Queen – remained behind in the United States and the couple were expected to return to them by the end of the week. Earlier this week, one of the Sussexes’ favorite journalists claimed that Meghan and Harry had yet to speak to William and Kate, despite enjoying a day off from their tour, at Frogmore Cottage just 700 meters away from the latter couple’s Adelaide Cottage. It was claimed this week that William had decided not to speak to Harry until his memoirs were published, fearing their conversation would appear in its pages. The siblings now face seeing a lot of each other as they prepare for the Queen’s funeral.

Even the staff of the royal household broke down in tears yesterday, coming to terms with the loss of their much-loved boss and head of state. One said: “No matter how hard you try to prepare for this moment, it hits you like a ton of bricks. She is irreplaceable. I just can’t believe we won’t see that cheeky smile again. There is a deep sense of shock.’ The Queen’s son Charles, formerly the Prince of Wales, is now King Charles III, while Prince William has inherited his father’s title and is now, together with his wife, the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge. William is also now the ‘heir’ to the British throne. All of Her Majesty’s children, as well as grandson Prince William, were rushed to Balmoral on Thursday after doctors became “concerned” about her health. Buckingham Palace issued a statement at 12:32 p.m. saying the Queen’s doctors were “concerned” about her health and advised her to remain under medical observation while family members were informed. Charles was…