Shortly after 10:00 a.m. local time (11:00 a.m. CEST), a hearse carrying the mortal remains of the monarch passed in a column of seven vehicles through the gate of the royal family’s country residence in the direction of the Scottish capital, Edinburgh. Earlier, six gamekeepers had lifted the monarch’s coffin, wrapped in the royal standard of Scotland, into the hearse.
The people waiting in front of the castle fell silent as the hearse and its escort vehicles left the country estate. The Queen’s only daughter, Princess Anne, was in a purple Bentley. The journey should take around six hours. Thousands of people lined the route and paid their last respects to the Queen. The regent died at Balmoral Castle on Thursday.
In the nearby town of Ballater, local dignitaries, residents and members of the British Army paid their respects in silence over the sunny weather. Some wore Scottish costume, some threw flowers at the passing hearse.
On Saturday, Elizabeth’s son Charles III. was proclaimed the new British king with trumpet fanfares and a cannon salute. The previous heir to the throne is henceforth “our only rightful king,” the highest-ranking herald announced solemnly from the balcony of St. James’s Palace in London after a meeting of the Accession Council. Previously, Charles III. again vowed to serve the country for the rest of his life, following the example set by his late mother, Elizabeth II.
For the first time ever, the ceremony for the proclamation of the monarch, which was held according to a centuries-old tradition, was broadcast live on television. Speaking to the Accession Council, which included Prime Minister Liz Truss and her predecessors Boris Johnson, Theresa May and Tony Blair, the 73-year-old monarch pledged to follow his mother’s “inspiring example”.
Meanwhile, the grief for the grandmother seems to bring the Queen’s grandsons Prince William and Prince Harry, who have been at odds for months, closer together again: Surprisingly, the two together with their wives Kate and Meghan appeared in front of Windsor Castle on Saturday to commemorate the sea of flowers laid there contemplating the late Queen, shook hands and conversed with mourners.
William had previously paid his respects to the Queen in a very personal statement. He will need some time “before the reality of life without grandma will feel really real,” wrote the heir to the throne. “She was by my side in my happiest moments. And she was by my side in the saddest days of my life.” He will honor his grandmother’s memory by honoring his father, King Charles III. support in any way.
On Monday, Queen Elizabeth’s coffin will be taken in a procession through the Scottish capital to St Giles Cathedral, where a funeral service will be held with the royal family. King Charles III will travel to the Scottish capital for this.
On Tuesday, the coffin will then be flown to London, where it will be publicly laid out in Westminster Hall for four days from Wednesday. The state funeral service will take place on September 19 at London’s Westminster Abbey. Heads of state and government as well as representatives of royal houses from all over the world are expected. The Queen will then be buried at Windsor Castle with her immediate family.
