Queues stretched for several kilometers from St Giles Cathedral on the Royal Mile – with the route passing through security checks, the National Museum of Scotland, the University of Edinburgh Students’ Union and the library in George Square and on to The Meadows , a tree-lined park on the south side of the city – in an event without a modern parallel in Scotland. On Monday night, queues were eight to 10 strong in places, with mourners and well-wishers – helped by the dry and mild weather – waiting more than five hours to get to the Queen’s coffin. At 5am on Tuesday, they queued outside for more than an hour to see the coffin, which was guarded by four green members of the Royal Company of Archers, each holding a crossbow, and four police officers wearing white gloves. The Scottish Government expects the queue – remarkable in its size – to grow again on Tuesday morning, before public viewing ends at 3pm. At around 5pm, the Queen’s coffin will be taken by hearse to Edinburgh Airport, accompanied by Princess Anne, The Princess Royal, and then flown by military aircraft to RAF Northolt, before being flown to Buckingham Palace. People queued up all night to get a chance to see the Queen’s coffin up close. Photo: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian Ross Tinsley, 45, a tourism lecturer originally from Belfast, and his girlfriend Linda Eriksson, 33, originally from Sweden, were among those who got up before dawn in a bid to beat the long queues. Tinsley, who brought his son Luke, 8, had traveled by taxi with Eriksson and her daughter Finnley, 7, from Pilrig in north Edinburgh. Tinsley’s wife had been to St Giles the night before, queuing for five hours after arriving at The Meadows at 8.15pm. For Tinsley, who positions himself politically as a “non-monarchist moderate”, he said the event, in a Scottish context, was unique and that its setting in the city’s medieval old town was ideal. “I think we are very privileged that he died at Balmoral and came to Edinburgh,” she said. “I think it will be a much more intimate experience. it won’t have that scale of London. That’s why Edinburgh’s Royal Mile was created.” The line went down town center to The Meadows. Photo: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian Erickson felt a cultural connection. “We have a monarchy in Sweden, which I grew up loving,” he said. “It’s a big thing in Sweden.” She and her daughter wanted to see the Queen’s coffin in person. Victoria, 53, an artist, and her daughter Grace, 20, an art and philosophy student, woke up at 3.45am. to come from Linlithgow, West Lothian, by train. Both women said they had an emotional response to the Queen’s death, which was at odds with their republican sympathies. “We are not royalists, but it was very strange that the death of the Queen should affect us,” said Victoria. “And Grace was very affected, so we thought, ‘Let’s go.’ Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. “Politically, I’m a bit confused because it’s what I’m against politically, but I just felt an emotional desire to come. I didn’t expect to feel this way.” Grace, an art and philosophy student, remembers learning about the Queen in primary school. “I am not a royal. I don’t feel particularly connected to the monarchy,” she said. “[Yet] now he’s gone, I almost feel like I’ve lost a distant relative or something.” Brian Todd, 51, who had joined the Royal Navy at 16 before serving as a firefighter, and his partner Allison Pearson, 55, a property manager, traveled from Livingston, West Lothian, getting up at 3.30am. They said they were monarchists, born of monarchical parents. “He was my boss for nine and a half years,” said Todd, his chest decorated with several medals. “I grew up a big fan of the royal family, so we came to pay our respects. It’s the end of an era for the Royal Family, but it’s also the end of an era for us too, especially if you’re 50. It’s all we’ve ever known – Queen Elizabeth is on the throne.” Pearson believes the Queen deserves undiminished praise. “I have lived my whole life with the Queen on the throne and at a very young age she promised to do everything for the country and she 100% delivered. You can’t blame her. I don’t think there will ever be a woman like her who will serve her country so well,” he said. For Todd, who hailed from County Durham, the three days of events in Scotland surrounding the Queen’s death at Balmoral – events that began with the slow 170-mile drive from eastern Scotland to Edinburgh on Sunday – were momentous and resonant. . “Scotland needed it too,” he said. “Everything seems to be London-centric and southern. It’s not great that the Queen passed away, but it was great for Scotland. At least we can say we made her proud. It’s not just for London.”
