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Queen’s funeral cortege arrives in Aberdeen en route to Edinburgh
The funeral cortege of Queen Elizabeth II has arrived in the Scottish city of Aberdeen as part of its journey from Balmoral Castle to Edinburgh. The cortege will pass the king George VI bridge, which was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 1941. It will journey on next to Stonehaven, Angus and then Perth, and then across the Queensferry crossing to Edinburgh. Some members of the royal family have already arrived at Holyrood in anticipation of the hearse’s arrival.
Small protest outside Cardiff Castle as King Charles III proclaimed in Wales
Steven Morris Steven Morris reports for the Guardian from Cardiff: About 2,000 members of the public crowded into the grounds of Cardiff Castle to bear witness to the reading of the proclamation. People began queuing three hours before the gates opened to make sure of a front-row place. Hundreds more lined the streets of the Welsh capital, large sections of which were closed off for the ceremony, which include the singing of God Save the King and Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, Wales’ national anthem. Prior to the proclamation, members of the 3rd Battalion the Royal Welsh – supported by the Band of the Royal Welsh and accompanied by the regimental mascot, a Welsh billy goat called Shenkin – marched from City Hall to the castle. There was a small protest outside the castle. One of the protesters, Lyn Mererid, from Cardiff, said: “We’re just showing another side. All this ceremony does represent some people, but there are people as well who aren’t interested in the monarchy and don’t think it represents them, and we want to be a voice for those people. Not to cause any trouble but just to say everybody’s voice is of value.” She was also upset that William has been granted the title of Prince of Wales. “It does upset us. We don’t see how it is of value.” Updated at 12.12 BST
Summary of the day so far …
The funeral cortege of Queen Elizabeth II has departed Balmoral Castle in Scotland on a six-hour journey that will end later today in Edinburgh. Draped in the royal standard for Scotland, and bearing a wreath made of flowers from her Balmoral estate, the Queen’s coffin will travel through Aberdeen, Dundee and Perth before reaching Scotland’s capital city at about 4pm. The first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, and other party leaders in Scotland are expected to observe the coffin as it goes past the Scottish parliament. The coffin will then remain at Holyroodhouse Palace, the monachy’s official residence in Scotland, before lying at rest on Monday at St Giles’ Cathedral. People have lined the route, particularly in the village of Ballater, eight miles from Balmoral, where the Queen frequently visited. One local resident said: “This is personal for the village.” Proclamation ceremonies to announce King Charles III as the new monarch are taking place throughout the UK, with large events staged at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland and Cardiff Castle in Wales among them. Many local councils and authorities will be hosting ceremonies during the course of the day. The timing of the state funeral for the Queen has been confirmed: it will take place at Westminster Abbey on Monday 19 September. Before then, the Queen will lie in state in Westminster Hall for four days, to allow the public to pay their respects, the royal family has said. The Department for Education has confirmed that schools and colleges in England are expected to close for the bank holiday on the day of the funeral. Schools in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are also to close. Much of the British press on its Sunday front pages focused on the joint walkabout by Prince William and his brother Harry accompanied by their wives at Windsor Castle last night. The four have seldom been seen together since Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, announced their intention to step away from royal duties.
Prince Harry, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Prince William and the Princess of Wales at Windsor Castle yesterday. Photograph: Kirsty O’Connor/AFP/Getty Images
New Zealand, Australia and Canada all held proclamation ceremonies to recognise King Charles III as their new head of state. The proclamation ceremonies are a constitutional and ceremonial event that formally transition to a new monarch for the countries. Those countries’ leaders have made tributes to the Queen as they recognised her successor. New Zealand’s PM, Jacinda Ardern, said the country was “filled with sadness for her passing, but also gratitude for the life she led”. The Australian PM, Anthony Albanese, said the Queen was “admired for her devotion to duty, for her commitment to the people of the United Kingdom, to the people of the Commonwealth including Australia and indeed to the world”. The prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda has said he will call for a referendum on the country becoming a republic within three years. The country will retain a British monarch for now, but the prime minister, Gaston Browne, said a referendum would be “the final step to complete that circle of independence, to ensure that we are truly a sovereign nation”. King Charles III held his first audiences at Buckingham Palace on Saturday afternoon, with the UK prime minister, Liz Truss, members of her cabinet and opposition leaders, as well as the archbishop of Canterbury. Liz Truss is to accompany King Charles III on a tour of Britain. The prime minister will accompany the King on a royal tour of Britain’s four nations to lead days of national mourning for the Queen.
Updated at 12.10 BST There is a live video feed of the procession of the Queen’s funeral cortege through Scotland this morning at the top of the blog now. You may need to refresh the page for the play button to appear. The proclamation ceremony for the new monarch at Hillsborough Castle in County Down, Northern Ireland, has begun. PA Media reports that the Royal Irish Regiment (RIR) band lead a procession of a Proclamation Guard from the 2nd Battalion of the RIR and representatives of Lisburn and Castlereagh council to the area at the front of the castle. It reports that members of the public are lining the streets outside the castle’s grounds. Hillsborough Castle is the official residence of the monarch and royal family in Northern Ireland, and also the official residence of the secretary of state for Northern Ireland. It has been a focal point for people leaving gifts since the death of the Queen. The scene yesterday as people lays flowers outside Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Updated at 11.59 BST It is not just in Scotland, where the Queen’s funeral cortege travels today, that people have been continuing to pay their respects. Crowds have gathered again at Windsor Castle. Members of the public walk along the Long Walk in Windsor Great Park, outside of Windsor Castle, west of London. Photograph: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images This picture shows the people who have assembled outside Buckingham Palace this morning. People at the gates of Buckingham Palace in London on Sunday morning. Photograph: Sébastien Bozon/AFP/Getty Images At Cardiff Castle in Wales there have been queues of people to get into a proclamation ceremony for King Charles III there. People queue to get into a proclamation ceremony for King Charles III at Cardiff Castle in Cardiff, Wales. Photograph: Molly Darlington/Reuters That ceremony has also been accompanied by a protest from supporters of Welsh independence. People protest ahead of the proclamation ceremony in Cardiff. Photograph: Molly Darlington/Reuters Updated at 11.58 BST Libby Brooks The funeral cortege of Queen Elizabeth II, with the coffin draped with the royal standard for Scotland, continues its journey through the Scottish countryside. Libby Brooks is in Ballater for the Guardian, the first village it passed through on its journey from Balmoral Castle to Edinburgh, and she describes the scene as people left after it passed: Just before 11am the sun was shining fully on Ballater and the crowds that had lined the high street had dispersed promptly and without ceremony, leaving behind scores of police and council officials. Many returned to homes only a few minutes’ walk away. “This is personal for the village,” one man told me. “I did think there might be clapping, but when the cars went past there was a moment of silence, and that tells its own story.” The crowds are growing now in Ballater in anticipation of the Queen’s cortège arriving just after the hour. Asked why they have made the journey today, many simply respond: we had to be here, she was our Queen pic.twitter.com/pich6nLCzK — Libby Brooks (@libby_brooks) September 11, 2022 Updated at 11.58 BST Mark Brown The Guardian’s North of England correspondent is in Edinburgh for us, and has spoken to people gathering there in anticipation of the Queen’s funeral cortege arriving later today: Crowds started arriving about 9am on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile for Sunday’s proclamation of King Charles III. Adriana De La Torre, 40, an attorney from Orlando, was among the first. She wanted to see history, she said. “I’m a big fan of the royals. We don’t have this kind of unifying figure in the States who everyone rallies around, you just have the two parties. Her dedication to service is outstanding and it is something to celebrate. “To be able to witness this is something special. I was in London the night she passed and I went to lay flowers at Buckingham Palace and it was such an emotional experience.” Crowds are gathering on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile ahead of the proclamation of Charles’ accession. Florida attorney Adriana De La Torre was one of the first to bag a spot “It’s history,” she said. pic.twitter.com/dbOT2TbOZp — Mark Brown…
