Queen Elizabeth’s coffin will be flown to London on Tuesday at the end of 24 hours of lying at rest in Edinburgh’s historic cathedral, where her son King Charles and his three siblings held a silent vigil.
Charles was joined by his sister Anne and brothers Andrew and Edward for the 10-minute vigil on Monday at St Giles’ Cathedral, where they stood, heads bowed, at the four sides of the coffin while members of the public filed past to pay their respects.
While a bagpipe lament had been the only sound as kilted soldiers bore the casket earlier in the day, the four royals left the vigil in darkness to the sound of applause from mourners lining the street.
Frances Thain, 63, said she had been surprised to see the queen’s four children as she entered the cathedral.
“I was just overwhelmed because there was so much to take in,” she said.
People queued overnight to pay their respects, with some arriving with sleeping children and many wearing winter jackets, scarves, and woollen hats to keep out the cold.
“We were desperate to be here to show our respects,” said Will Brehme, an engineer from Edinburgh, who arrived in the early hours of the morning with his partner and 20-month-old daughter sleeping in a baby carrier.
“It is a moment that will live with us forever. When you think that she worked all of her life for us it is the least we could do.”
Elizabeth died on Thursday in her holiday home at Balmoral Castle, in the Scottish Highlands, at the age of 96 after a 70-year reign, plunging the nation into mourning. Her funeral will be held on Sept. 19.
Charles, 73, who automatically became king of the United Kingdom and 14 other realms including Australia, Canada and Jamaica, is travelling to the four parts of the United Kingdom before the funeral, and will visit Northern Ireland on Tuesday.
In Belfast, he will meet senior politicians and faith leaders and attend a service at the city’s St Anne’s Cathedral before returning to London.
Tens of thousands of mourners have turned out in Scotland, with deep crowds gathering from the early hours to observe the processions along the historic Royal Mile. In London, huge numbers of people have left flowers and messages on the grounds of royal parks.
The queen’s coffin will leave Scotland for the first time since her death when it is flown to London in the early evening and then driven to Buckingham Palace.
On Wednesday, it will be taken on a gun carriage as part of a grand military procession to Westminster Hall where a period of lying in state will begin until Sept. 19.
Members of the public will be allowed to process past the coffin, which will be covered by the Royal Standard flag with the sovereign’s Orb and Sceptre placed on top, for 24 hours a day until the morning of the funeral.
The death of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch has drawn tears and warm tributes, not just from the queen’s own close family and across Britain, but also from around the globe – a reflection of her presence on the world stage for seven decades.
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