Shortly after 10am (0900 GMT), a hearse carrying Elizabeth’s oak coffin emerged from the gates of Balmoral Castle, where she died on Thursday aged 96, at the start of a slow six-hour journey to the Scottish capital . The coffin was dressed in the Royal Standard of Scotland with a wreath on top made of flowers from the Balmoral estate including sweet peas, one of Elizabeth’s favourites. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up In an emotional tribute to his mother on Friday, new monarch King Charles said she had embarked on a “last great journey” to join her husband of 73 years Prince Philip, who died last year. The cortege from Balmoral is the first in a series of events leading up to the state funeral at Westminster Abbey in London on September 19. Her death has sparked tears, grief and heartfelt tributes, not only from the Queen’s immediate family and many in Britain, but from around the world – reflecting her presence on the world stage for seven decades. As the hearse arrived in the small village of Ballater near Balmoral, hundreds stood by the roadside in silence in the bright morning sun as the hearse passed, some throwing flowers into the road. “It’s very, very sad. I’m glad I was here to say goodbye,” said Elizabeth Alexander, 69, who was born on the day the Queen was crowned in 1953. Read more Accompanied by the Queen’s daughter, Princess Anne, the cortege made its way from the remote castle through picturesque countryside, villages and small towns, at one point passing a guard of honor formed by dozens of tractors lined up in nearby farmers’ fields. It was due to arrive in Edinburgh at about 4pm. (15:00 Greek time) where the coffin would be moved to the throne room of the Palace of Holyroodhouse. “There was no way I was going to miss this. I would regret it for the rest of my life,” said Eilidh Mackintosh, 62, who left her home at 6am to ensure a good view of the famous Royal Mile of Edinburgh, where large crowds gather. were gathering. “She never let us down and I didn’t want to let her down either. Now she’s gone, there’s a big hole in the nation’s heart.” Many thousands have already gathered at the royal palaces in the days following Elizabeth’s death, and large piles of flowers are being collected as people visit to pay their respects. “I know how deeply you, the whole nation – and I think I may say the whole world – sympathize with me for the irreparable loss we have all suffered,” Charles said at a ceremony on Saturday. Charles became king soon after his mother’s death and was officially declared the new monarch at the ceremony, full of pageantry and centuries-old traditions. read more The hearse carrying the coffin of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth leaves Balmoral Castle, in Balmoral, Scotland, Britain September 11, 2022. REUTERS/Phil Noble read more Similar proclamations follow across the UK and the 14 other realms of which Charles is now head of state, including Australia, Canada, Jamaica, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. read more Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said parliament would be adjourned on Thursday to allow members to pay their respects. read more The Queen ascended the throne after the death of her father, King George VI, on 6 February 1952, when she was just 25 years old. Her coronation took place a year later. Although Elizabeth’s death was not entirely unexpected, given her age and declining health, there was still a sense of shock at the news. “We all thought she was invincible,” her grandson Prince William, now heir to the throne, told a well-wisher on Saturday as he met crowds at Windsor Castle. read more FUNERAL The day of Elizabeth’s funeral will be a public holiday in Britain, officials have announced. US President Joe Biden has said he will be there, although full details of the event and attendees have yet to be released. Before that, her coffin will be flown to London and there will be a somber procession when it is later moved from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, where it will lie in state for four days. “It goes without saying that we can expect a large number of people,” a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Liz Truss told reporters. Truss, whose appointment as prime minister on Tuesday was the Queen’s last public act, will follow King Charles as the new head of state and prime minister on a tour of the UK’s four nations in the coming days. read more Charles, 73, is now the 41st monarch in a line that traces its roots to Norman King William the Conqueror who seized the English throne in 1066. Elizabeth’s death has capped two difficult years for the royal family. The most popular topic concerned her grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, who stepped down from royal life in 2020 to move to California where they have both been vocal critics of the institution. This has alienated them 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 saw their differences put aside as they appeared 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. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up 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 in Edinburgh Editing by Kate Holton, Mark Potter and Frances Kerry Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
