After the Queen’s death, her oak coffin was draped with the Royal Standard for Scotland and wreaths and placed in the ballroom at Balmoral. On Sunday morning, her gamekeeper six of her carried her coffin to a waiting hearse.
At 10:00 AM (5:00 AM ET), the beloved monarch’s coffin made its journey to the nation’s capital. However, it does not go there directly. First, take her 6-hour trip to Edinburgh and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. The journey by car usually takes about three hours, but it is driven slowly so that you can watch the hearse pass by and keep your head down.
Upon arrival in Edinburgh, the hearse is given the royal salute by the honor guard, made up of the Royal Scottish Regiment, and then carried to the audience by military bearers.
Meanwhile, back in London, the King will meet with the Commonwealth Secretary-General before welcoming the High Commissioner of the Kingdom, of which he is Head of State, in the Bow Room at Buckingham Palace.
At 2:35 p.m. (9:35 a.m. ET), the Queen’s coffin was moved to St Giles’ Cathedral for prayers and prayers attended by the King and Queen’s consorts, members of the royal family, and a composed congregation. A service of reflection is held. “From all sectors of Scottish society,” said a senior official at the palace. The coffin is then left there for her twenty-four hours for the people of Scotland to see.
After worship, the King returns to Holyroodhouse There he will have an audience with Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon, followed by a meeting with the Speaker of the Scottish Parliament. Prince Charles travels with the Queen to the Scottish Parliament to receive a motion of condolence.
That night, at 7:20 pm (2:20 pm ET), the King and members of the royal family will embark on the Queen’s coffin guard (wake).
On Tuesday, the King and Lady Camilla will travel to Belfast, Northern Ireland. The couple will visit Hillsborough Castle to see exhibits about the Queen’s long association with Northern Ireland. The King will then meet with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland as well as other party leaders and receive a telegram of condolences led by the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Parliament.
Back in Scotland, the Queen’s only daughter, Princess Anne, prepares to accompany her mother’s body as it returns to London. At 5:00 pm (12:00 pm EST), her coffin will be transported in her hearse 8.2 miles (13.2 km) to Edinburgh Airport, from where she will depart for RAF Northolt.
A state hearse carries the monarch’s body to Buckingham Palace, where the King, Queen and other members of the Windsor clan await the arrival of the coffin around 8:00 pm (3:00 pm ET). The Dean of the Royal Chapel performs a prayer and the Queen’s Party of Bearers, found by her company, the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guard places the coffin on a pedestal in the center of Bowe’s room and rests overnight.
On Wednesdays, you’ll see an extraordinarily silent procession of coffins on carriages from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the Palace of Westminster.
For this journey, the coffin is adorned with a British Imperial crown and wreath. The procession route departs at 2:22 PM (9:22 AM ET) along the Mall, crossing Horse Guards Parade, past Downing Street and on to Westminster.
What is likely to be a moving moment is for members of the royal family to walk behind the beloved matriarch. As the crowd watches the march (which takes about 40 minutes), Big His Ben charges and the gunfire of the Royal Horse Artillery of Hyde His Park echoes throughout the capital.
The Queen’s coffin rests on a raised platform, or catafalque, in the center of the hall and is guarded 24 hours a day by the Household Department, the King’s Bodyguards, or officials of the Archers’ Royal Company.
Arrive at Westminster Hall for a short service by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, after which the hall is open to the public to pay your respects.
Members of the public will be able to file past the Queen’s coffin during the first day of lying in state at Westminster Hall on Thursday.
Brass plaques in the 11th-century hall mark where Edward VII lay in 1910, George V in 1936, George VI in 1952, and Queen Mary a year later. The 900-year-old hall is also where the wartime British Prime Minister Winston’s Churchill was laid to rest in 1965.
On Friday, I will be bedridden for two full days. Huge numbers of people are expected to line up in central London for the chance to visit the coffin and take part in this historic moment. Details on how the public can participate will be announced by the government in the near future.
Separately, King Charles and Lady Camilla will visit Wales on Friday, completing a tour of all four countries that make up Britain.
Public access to the lying state continues through the weekend.
Sunday is the last full day when the Queen’s body is laid in Westminster Hall.
A public holiday was declared across Britain on the morning of Monday 19th September, but the Queen’s lying state will come to an end. Her coffin then travels in procession again to Westminster Abbey for a state funeral.
Founded by Benedictine monks in 960 AD, Westminster Abbey is one of London’s most famous landmarks. This historic church has been the setting for all coronations since 1066 and was also where then-Princess Elizabeth married Prince Philip in 1947.
Heads of state and dignitaries from around the world are invited to the British capital to join members of the royal family and are expected to celebrate the Queen’s life and unwavering service to the nation and Commonwealth. US President Joe Biden is expected to attend the funeral, although a guest list has yet to be announced.
Other familiar faces televised are some of the fifteen Prime Ministers who served during the Queen’s reign.
Finally, the coffin travels in procession to Wellington Arch before making its final journey from London to Windsor.
After his service to the Duke of Edinburgh in 2021, his coffin was lowered into the royal crypt below the chapel, where many members of the royal family were buried. However, he will be moved to lie with the Queen at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, located elsewhere within St George’s Chapel.
CNN’s Anna Brand and Henrik Pettersson contributed to this report.
Source: www.cnn.com
