Thousands of people gathered in silence for a last tribute to Elizabeth II: from Balmoral to Edinburgh, the coffin of the queen who died on Thursday slowly crosses this Scottish countryside that she loved so much on Sunday, a journey of six hours.
The coffin first left the castle ballroom, where the monarch lay, carried to the hearse by six estate gamekeepers. Last moments in this Balmoral residence, one of Elizabeth II’s favorites, where the queen used to spend part of the summer.
Then the procession started under the sun. At 10 a.m., the oak coffin passed through the gates of the property. On the coffin, the Scottish royal standard and a wreath of white heather, dahlias and sweet peas, all from the gardens of the Balmoral estate.
The procession made up of seven cars passed slowly in front of the bouquets placed in front of the gates of the estate.
As soon as the news of the death of the sovereign, who was immensely loved in her country, fell on Thursday, locals had come to pay homage to her. They were joined by others from across Scotland and beyond.
“I had to come to Balmoral” to pay my respects to the Queen, said Mark Lindley-Highfield, a 47-year-old academic who lives in Inverness, nearly two hours from Balmoral. He made the trip in mourning clothes, tail coat and top hat.
“She is the only queen I will know in my entire life,” said Nia Gray-Wannell, a scientist who lives in the nearby village of Ballater.
Ballater was the first village crossed by the procession. Hundreds of people lined the main street, many dressed in black. Members of the clergy, some bowing to the passage of the coffin, and local authorities in traditional Scottish dress took their places in front of the church. A few flowers were thrown as the convoy passed.
Then the villages followed one another. In Banchory, applause rang out, a moved woman crushed a tear.
The hearse must travel almost 300 kilometers in the day through the green Scottish countryside. He is expected to arrive at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the monarch’s official residence in Scotland in Edinburgh, around 3 p.m. He will spend the night there.
The coffin will then rest for 24 hours at Saint-Gilles Cathedral where a religious service and a funeral wake will take place. On Tuesday evening, the Queen’s coffin will be flown to London.
The funeral of Elizabeth II will take place on September 19.
As the monarch’s coffin passed through Scotland, her son Charles III was proclaimed king in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast. Twenty-one cannon shots were fired in the three towns.