The Duke of York, flanked by both of his children, thanked well-wishers for the ride back to Balmoral after the royal family attended a prayer service on Saturday. The Duke of York sees the messages and floral tributes left by members of the public at Balmoral (PA Wire) Princess Beatrice read the messages left by the public (PA) It was the first time members of the royal family have appeared together in public since the Queen’s death on Thursday. Asked by a mourner how things were going, Andrew said: “We’ve been allowed a day, now we’re starting the process of handing her over.” He added: “Nice to see you, thanks for coming.” On Sunday, the Queen’s coffin was driven to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. Prince Andrew comforts his daughter after the death of his mother (Getty Images) The sisters spent time looking at the masses of flowers left by well-wishers (Getty Images) Andrew and his two daughters were joined by two of the Queen’s children, Princess Royal and the Earl of Wessex, the Countess of Wessex, Anne’s husband Rear Admiral Sir Tim Lawrence and the Queen’s grandchildren Peter Phillips, Zara Tyndall and Lady Louise Windsor at service on Saturday. It was a prayer service held at nearby Crathie Kirk, a place the Queen regularly visited during her stay at Balmoral. Shortly after the service ended at around 2.30pm, the family began a somber walk across the bridge over the River Dee to the castle. (L-R) Lady Louise Windsor, Countess of Wessex, Peter Phillips (hidden), Duke of York, Zara Tyndall (hidden), Earl of Wessex, Princess Royal and Rear Admiral Timothy Lawrence wave to well-wishers outside Balmoral (PA Wire) Members of the public who had made their way to the castle were seen waving and waving. After Andrew addressed the audience, the family walked to the vast collection of flowers and tributes that had been left at the gates. The crowd fell silent as they intently read messages and discussed the bouquets among themselves. At one point, Princess Eugenia laid out a bunch of flowers and was seen being comforted by her father as he wiped the tears from her eyes. Eugenia put her own flowers (AP) After being on stage for about six minutes, the family stood at the castle gates facing the audience and waved, causing them to break into spontaneous applause. Andrew also joined his hands in prayer and briefly bowed to the crowd to give thanks. A woman then said: “How nice.” A large crowd had gathered at Balmoral ahead of the visit, with locals including parents and children, some carrying roses, gathering at the castle gates to add their floral tributes. Ross Homer, who serves as a royal engineer in the army, spoke to members of the royal family during the visit. Members of the royal family have been in Scotland since the Queen’s death on Thursday (REUTERS) The 42-year-old had come to Balmoral from Kinloss with his partner Kate, 38, and their two daughters, Laila, 14, and Roxy, 12. Speaking about the interaction, he said: “Everyone got out of the car and started walking up the bridge. “It was Andrew, Edward, Sophie and their daughter at the front. We said ‘sorry for your loss’ as they walked by and they said ‘thank you’ and as they kept walking they were talking to people taller than us.” Mr Homer added: ‘You could see the tears in their eyes, they looked very sad, you could see they were crying. “They showed their appreciation for everyone, standing with their flowers, it was great to see. A very heartfelt moment. “It was a nice day to see how much she was loved.”
