RECAP: Queue to view the Queen’s coffin at St Giles’ Cathedral closed | Thousands expected to line route to Edinburgh Airport
Some 26,000 people have viewed the late monarch’s coffin since Monday, a tweet from the government said.
The Queen’s coffin will be taken from the cathedral to Edinburgh Airport on Tuesday afternoon, bound for London.
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Hide AdPeople are expected to line the route of the Queen’s final departure from Edinburgh as her coffin is taken to the airport this evening, with the Queen’s coffin heading to Buckingham Palace.
Here’s live updates throughout the afternoon on D-Day +4, or D+4, in the plans marking the Queen’s death.
Updates as Queen’s coffin to leave Edinburgh | Thousands expected to line route to Edinburgh Airport
A look at some key times coming up
At 5pm the Queen’s coffin will leave St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh.
At 6pm the coffin will depart Edinburgh Airport accompanied by the Princess Royal.
At 6:55pm the coffin will arrive at RAF Northolt in west London, from there it will be transported to Buckingham Palace on a state hearse.
Good morning and welcome to our live blog on D-Day +4, or D+4, in the plans marking the Queen’s death.
Thousands of people are expected to line the route of the Queen’s final departure from Edinburgh as her coffin is taken to the airport this afternoon.
An early morning rehearsal for the procession of Queen Elizabeth's coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westmister Hall
Lord Ian Duncan, the Deputy Speaker in the House of Lords, said crowds along the Royal Mile were “ten-deep”, while the streets surrounding the historic precinct were equally crammed with people.
“The sheer quantity of individuals moving into Edinburgh today (indicates) that there will be many tens – possibly even hundreds – of thousands of people who will wish to pay their respects to the late Queen,” Lord Duncan told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Radio National programme on Tuesday morning.
“That is an extraordinary outpouring of respect, grief, celebration of an extraordinary woman.
“By goodness, they were ten-deep. They had to stop people trying to get there because it would have become dangerous.
“The streets around (the Royal Mile) were crammed and now, as people wait to walk past the coffin itself, the expectation of the numbers and the sheer quantity of humanity in Edinburgh today is extraordinary.”
The Met Police have issued a statement following the arrests of anti-monarchy protesters following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
The Met Police says people “have a right to protest”. A statement from Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy reads: “We have been making this clear to all officers involved in the extraordinary policing operation currently in place.”
Police in Scotland have arrested two people in recent days, while a man was arrested and de-arrested in Oxford.
The leaders of Papua New Guinea have held a ceremony to honour the Queen and proclaim King Charles III as the country’s new head of state.
Governor-General Bob Dadae and Prime Minister James Marape were joined by dignitaries at the ceremony outside Parliament in the capital Port Moresby.
Papua is one of five countries in Asia and the Pacific where the British monarch is head of state. They also include Australia, New Zealand, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu.
