Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin left Balmoral Castle in Scotland on Sunday as it begins its journey to her final resting place. The hearse carrying the coffin slowly left Balmoral Castle, traveling through Aberdeen, Dundee and Perth, arriving at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, where it will remain until Monday afternoon. It is the first time the late monarch’s coffin has been seen in public since she died on Thursday. The coffin will be flown to London on Tuesday ahead of the state funeral on Monday 19 September. Accompanied by her daughter Princess Anne, Queen Elizabeth II’s oak coffin left Balmoral dressed in the Royal Standard of Scotland and topped with a wreath of white flowers. According to the Royal Family, the Royal Standard represents the Sovereign and the United Kingdom. The Royal Standard has taken various forms since the Union of the Crowns in 1603, and most Commonwealth nations, including Canada, have their own version of the flag. Today’s flag – known as the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom – is divided into four quarters: England is represented by three golden lions in the first and fourth quarters, Scotland is represented by a red lion in the second quarter, and the harp represents Ireland in the third quarter. In Scotland, a different version of the Royal Standard is used, with the Scottish arms in the first and fourth quarters and the English arms in the second — this is draped on the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II amid her journey to Edinburgh. Once the coffin arrives in London on Tuesday, the Royal Standard of Scotland will be replaced with the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom. In Westminster Hall, where it will lie in state for four days from Wednesday, the coffin will be returned with the imperial crown ? the Sphere of the Sovereign, to represent Christendom. and the Ruler’s Scepter with a Cross, which represents authority. The main flag is usually flown when the monarch resides in one of the Royal Palaces, on the monarch’s car on official trips and on aircraft while on the ground. It can also fly into any building, official or private, during a visit by the monarch upon request. Unlike the Union Flag, the Royal Standard is never flown at half-mast, even after the death of a monarch, as there is always a Sovereign on the throne. King Charles III was officially declared sovereign of the United Kingdom on Saturday in a lavish accession ceremony. The 73-year-old, who spent seven decades as heir apparent, automatically became king when his mother Queen Elizabeth II died, but the accession ceremony is a key constitutional and ceremonial step in introducing the new monarch to the country. Similar proclamations follow across the UK and Commonwealth nations of which King Charles III is now head of state, including Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
