Recap: An emotional day as Queen’s coffin arrives in Edinburgh | Charles proclaimed King at an Edinburgh ceremony
Pallbearers carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped with the Royal Standard of Scotland, as it arrives at Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh where it will lie in rest for a day.
The oak coffin will be lifted into a hearse on Sunday at 10am by six of the estate’s gamekeepers will be draped with the Royal Standard of Scotland and with a wreath of flowers on top.
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Hide AdWell-wishers are expected to gather along the route the cortege will take as it travels from Balmoral to the Scottish capital – which is expected to take about six hours.
It will first head to the nearby town of Ballater, where it is expected at approximately 10.12am.
About an hour later it will arrive in Aberdeen, with tributes expected to be paid in the city’s Duthie Park.
Travelling south along the A90, it will then arrive in Dundee at about 2pm.
As he became King, King Charles III paid tribute to the reign of the late Queen, “unequalled in its duration, its dedication and its devotion”, as he was formally declared the nation’s new monarch.
A number of procedural matters were completed including the King approving the day of the late Queen’s funeral, which has yet to be confirmed, to be a bank holiday.
Updates as Queen’s coffin nears Edinburgh
The Archbishop of Canterbury recalled when the Queen “chose quite literally to extend the hand of friendship to Martin McGuinness despite their differences and painful history”.
He said: “She was able to offer her hand because she stood on the rock of Christ. She knew that every person is part of the flock. She saw every one of her subjects, and every person she met, as part of God’s treasured people.
“She knew that even in the valley of the shadow of death, the Good Shepherd was with her. She knew that throughout this country’s darkest days and greatest victories, the hand of the Lord seeks us out and guides us.
“His Majesty knows the same. We have continuity. We have stability through grace. Her life made sense in the light of Jesus Christ, her Lord and Saviour, and so does that of His Majesty.
“This is a moment of deep grief, indeed. As her Majesty said herself, grief is the price we pay for love.
One visitor who watched the proclamation of King Charles III in Edinburgh said it was “pretty incredible” to witness the event.
Helen Smith, from Livingston, stood at the front of the barriers right next to the Mercat Cross.
She told the PA news agency: “I got here about 8am to get my spot.
“I came because it’s an event in history. I’ve only ever known one monarch, so I wanted to be here for it. Being quite close was pretty incredible, I could hear everything that went on. It was quite a spectacular sight to see.
“The whole atmosphere was a little bit surreal. With a large group of people, you expect a lot of noise but everything was really quiet as we just observed.
“My favourite bit was the first time we sang God Save The King, because we’ve only ever known singing God Save The Queen, so it’s a mind shift.”
One well-wisher has described her delight at being able to witness the proclamation for the King in her home country.
Ann Hamilton, of Dumfries, told the PA news agency: “It might never happen again in my lifetime, so we just felt compelled to come today.
“We watched it on television the other day, but when it’s happening in the capital city of Scotland, we felt that we just needed to come.
“It was amazing seeing it live. Being here to witness a big part of history was just amazing. Looking at the costumes that the people were wearing, it’s just so historic. It’s important to keep traditions.”
