A hearse carrying the monarch’s coffin makes its way to Edinburgh Airport before being taken to Westminster Hall, where the public can pay their respects. The coffin is expected to leave Edinburgh Airport on an RAF flight this afternoon, with mourners able to pay their respects en route. King Charles III will be joined by the Queen Consort, Camilla, as he receives his mother’s coffin at Buckingham Palace, where she spent so many of her decades as sovereign. The King and the Queen Consort fly from Belfast Airport to London to receive the Queen’s coffin at Buckingham Palace later on Tuesday. The Prince and Princess of Wales will also be at the Palace. A guard of honor consisting of three officers and 96 soldiers from the King’s Guard will be placed in the Quadrangle. Military orders, usually shouted, will be given as quietly as possible in honor of the solemn occasion. “The Queen’s coffin is now on its way to London” Around 300 police officers are on the streets around RAF Northolt ahead of the arrival of the Queen’s coffin by plane there on Tuesday night. The late monarch’s lie-in-state at Westminster Hall will open to the public at 5pm on Wednesday and will be open 24 hours a day until it closes at 6.30am. on Monday 19 September – the day of the Queen’s funeral. Earlier today, the King and Queen consort had earlier visited Hillsborough Castle and attended a service at St Anne’s Cathedral for the monarch’s first visit to Northern Ireland since the late Queen’s death. As part of a tour of the UK, the new King pledged to “pursue the welfare” of all the people of Northern Ireland, describing how his family felt their “sorrows” as he praised his mother’s relationship with the nation. Charles, who in 2015 made a pilgrimage to the site where his uncle Lord Mountbatten was killed in an IRA bomb attack, said the Queen “never stopped praying for better times for this place and its people”. Speaking at Hillsborough Castle in County Down, the royal residence in Northern Ireland, the new monarch added that the late Queen knew her place in bringing together divided communities “that history had divided”. ITV Special Coverage of Kings Charles visits Northern Ireland before Queen’s coffin returns to London Sinn Féin deputy leader Michelle O’Neill told the King she was deeply sorry for his loss when she met him at Hillsborough Castle, saying she hoped the British-Irish relationship was strengthened now that he was monarch. Cheers erupted from the crowd of thousands in Hillsborough as the King’s motorcade pulled into the Co Down village – both Charles and the Queen Consort got out of their cars to greet well-wishers. After meeting political leaders, the couple traveled to St Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast, where they attended a service reflecting on the Queen’s life. Crowds cheer as King Charles III and the Queen Consort arrive for a visit to Hillsborough Castle. Credit: PA God Save the King was sung in the cathedral for the first time in seven decades. Prime Minister Liz Truss, Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney and Irish President Michael D. Higgins were among those seen sitting in the historic building. King Charles III and the Queen Consort greet President Michael D Higgins. Credit: PA King Charles and the Queen Consort shook hands with the Irish president after the memorial service for the late Queen. Thousands of members of the public filed past the oak coffin throughout the night as it lay on public view for 24 hours at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh. On his Operation Spring Tide tour of the UK with the Queen Consort, the new monarch will meet leaders from all the major faiths in Northern Ireland. The King’s visit to the nation comes ahead of a trip to Wales later in the week. The crowds lining the road outside Hillsborough Castle stood ten deep behind metal barriers. And, the area in front of the gates to the castle was covered with hundreds of floral tributes. Among the thousands of people waiting to catch a glimpse of the king and queen was a corgi in the crowd who nuzzled into Charles when his owner held him during the royal couple’s walk. The couple held a private hearing with the new Northern Ireland government minister, Chris Heaton-Harris, as well as meetings with representatives of political parties in the region. The Speaker of the Stormont Assembly, Alex Maskey described how the Queen was part of efforts to build peace in Ireland. In a message of condolence on behalf of the people of Northern Ireland, he said the Queen had not been a “distant observer” of the transformation and progress of relations between the people of the country. Route of the Queen’s coffin from St Giles Cathedral to Edinburgh Airport. Credit: PA Members of the public are already queuing for the Queen to lie in state at Westminster Hall, which opens on Wednesday, and thousands are still paying floral tributes in Green Park. King Charles III and the Queen Consort leave St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh. Credit: PA The Royal Parks have asked mourners not to leave jam sandwiches – a nod to the Queen’s comic skit with Paddington Bear – fearing it will have a negative impact on wildlife. At 6pm, the Queen will depart Scotland for the last time. Her coffin will be flown from Edinburgh Airport to London on an RAF Globemaster C-17 flight, accompanied by her daughter, Princess Royal. The Queen’s remarkable life was recalled in our latest episode of What You Need To Know
