Queen Elizabeth II’s final journey has begun. Her oak coffin left Balmoral at 10am on Sunday for Edinburgh after being carried in hearses by six of the estate’s gamekeepers. Thousands of mourners lined the route to pay their respects. Shortly after the cortege began its 100-mile journey, it passed through the village of Ballater, where crowds fell silent as a mark of respect for the Queen. Once the cavalier arrives in the Scottish capital, Elizabeth II’s body will be taken to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the “shocking” trip would give the public a chance to “mark our country’s shared loss”. Since her death on Thursday, the Queen’s coffin, which is draped in the Royal Coat of Arms and topped with a wreath of flowers, has been lying in repose at Balmoral so estate workers can say their final goodbyes. Hundreds of miles south of the procession, huge crowds gathered outside Buckingham Palace to pay their respects to the late monarch.
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A gun salute is heard at the proclamation of Charles III at Cardiff
Gun salute marks the proclamation of King Charles III at Cardiff Castle Rory Sullivan September 11, 2022 1:02 p.m 1662897603
Liz Truss to join King Charles on UK tour during national mourning
Liz Truss will accompany King Charles III on his tour of the UK next week as he leads the nation in the “significant moment” of mourning the late Queen. The Conservative prime minister will travel with the king as he heads to Scotland on Monday morning, followed by visits to Northern Ireland on Tuesday and Wales on Friday. Mrs Truss will join him in “services of reflection” across the country during the 10-day mourning period, Downing Street said. The prime minister’s official spokesman said it was not an official or constitutional role but had been agreed by No 10 and Buckingham Palace.
Liz Truss will accompany King Charles on tour of the UK
The Prime Minister will join the monarch as he heads to Scotland on Monday Rory Sullivan September 11, 2022 1:00 p.m 1662897405
Charles declared himself king in the proclamation of Edinburgh
King Charles III was declared sovereign in the proclamation of Edinburgh Rory Sullivan September 11, 2022 12:56 p.m 1662897003
Queen treated others as ‘experts’, says Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury has praised the late Elizabeth II and Charles III for treating others as “experts”. At a service in Canterbury Cathedral, he told the congregation: “Both His Majesty and His Majesty regard others as separate because for both their faith is built on the same rock, the rock of Christ. “It is a rock on which we can also stand. There is room on this rock for every person, however important or insignificant.” Rory Sullivan September 11, 2022 12:50 pm 1662896806
‘It was like your nan died’: Villagers who called Queen’s neighbor tearful as coffin leaves Balmoral
Villages that called the Queen their neighbor paid tribute to the late monarch as her coffin passed by on Sunday morning. For people living in Ballater, a village 15 minutes’ drive from Balmoral, the Queen’s death on Thursday was like “losing your nan”. Holly Bancroft has this report from Ballater:
Tearful villagers who called Queen their neighbor felt death ‘was like nan dying’
Ballater was one of the first places the Queen’s motorcade passed through on Sunday as her coffin traveled from Balmoral to Edinburgh Rory Sullivan September 11, 2022 12:46 p.m 1662896403
Sinn Féin boycotts the King’s coronation ceremonies
Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald has said her party will not take part in any coronation ceremonies for the King – including this morning’s coronation ceremony at Hillsborough Castle in County Down. “Accession ceremonies are reserved for those whose political allegiance is to the British Crown. Sinn Féin will not be present at these events,” he said. However, Sinn Féin vice-president Michelle O’Neill will attend the Tuesday Queen’s memorial service in Hillsborough and the memorial service at St Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast (which Charles will attend). Adam Forrest September 11, 2022 12:40 p.m 1662895226
Anti-monarchy protests take place in Cardiff and Edinburgh
A number of anti-royal demonstrations were held in Scotland and Wales to coincide with the proclamation of Charles III as the new sovereign of the United Kingdom. An anti-monarchy protest outside Cardiff Castle, Wales, on September 11, 2022. (PA) A man holds a sign reading ‘Democracy’ outside St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh. (AFP via Getty Images) Rory Sullivan September 11, 2022 12:20 pm 1662895203
Cameron apologizes to Queen for Scottish independence vote
David Cameron has revealed how he had to apologize to the Queen after revealing details of one of their private conversations about Scottish independence. The microphones picked up the then Prime Minister and it was told how the Queen “squeezed” the phone when she was informed of the result of the 2014 referendum. Mr Cameron told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme: “It was a very upfront and full apology made very quickly at the start of an audience. I think that’s all I have to say.” Asked if the Queen had told him, Cameron replied: “Obviously everything that was said in those meetings is completely private.” Rory Sullivan September 11, 2022 12:20 pm 1662894443
Proclamations read in devolved states of the United Kingdom
King Charles III was proclaimed monarch to the people of Scotland at the Mercat Cross in Edinburgh. Several days after the death of 96-year-old Elizabeth II, thousands of people lined the Royal Mile in Edinburgh and councilors left the city hall wearing red robes. Proclamations were also read in Wales and Northern Ireland the day after Charles was formally proclaimed King by the Council of Accession in London. Rory Sullivan September 11, 2022 12:07 p.m 1662894123
The local MP is “honoured” to witness the cortège
Andrew Bowie, MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, said it was a “tremendous privilege and honour” to watch the Queen’s coffin travel through the village of Ballater this morning. Speaking to Sky News, the politician, whose constituency includes the Balmoral estate, said: “It was something to feel the sense of solemn, quiet reflection as the cortege passed through this village. A village that the Queen… knew so well.’ He added that local stories about the Queen being beaten at the butcher shop or elsewhere were numerous. Rory Sullivan September 11, 2022 12:02 p.m
