Preparations in Edinburgh for relocation of Queen Elizabeth’s coffin
Roads are closed and fences are being erected in the Scottish capital Edinburgh in preparation for the arrival of Queen Elizabeth’s coffin, the BBC reports. The coffin is expected to be moved Sunday from Balmoral Castle, where Elizabeth died, to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. In St Giles Cathedral, the public is allowed to walk past the coffin. It will be moved to London on Tuesday.
Candles burn for Queen Elizabeth outside the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. Photo Adam Vaughan/EPA
Fragile nation must go on without Queen
She addresses the country at Christmas. Her silhouette is on all coins, bills, stamps. And British Prime Ministers are allowed to succeed each other at an ever faster pace; she is the one who asks them to form a government. Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in 1953, so the average Briton hasn’t experienced a head of state other than her.
With the death of Elizabeth (96), a certainty has disappeared in a country that is already searching. A fragile United Kingdom must now find its way under a new king. That won’t be easy.
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Read more in this piece from correspondent Annemarie Kas: Fragile nation must go on without Queen
Also in Canada ceremony for official crowning Charles
A ceremony in honor of Charles’s official crowning will also take place on Saturday in Ottawa, Canada. The ceremony will begin for Canadians at 10 a.m. (4 p.m. GMT) at Rideau Hall, the residence of the Governor General of Canada.
Canada was a British colony until 1867. It remained part of the British Empire until 1982. Today it is still a member of the Commonwealth, a grouping of countries that used to be part of the British Empire and today still have the British monarch as their symbolic head of state.
Japanese Emperor Naruhito likely to attend Queen Elizabeth’s funeral
Japanese Emperor Naruhito is likely to travel to the United Kingdom to attend Queen Elizabeth’s state funeral. This is reported by international news agencies. This will be Naruhito’s first trip abroad since he took the throne in 2019.
It is rare for a Japanese emperor to attend a royal funeral abroad. In 1993, the then Emperor Akihito traveled to Belgium with the then Empress Michiko for the state funeral of King Baudouin.
The British royal family and the Japanese imperial family have long-term jobs. Emperor Naruhito was invited by Elizabeth to come to the United Kingdom in 2020, but that trip was postponed due to the corona pandemic. Emperor Naruhito said he was “deeply saddened” by Elizabeth’s death.
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Queen Elizabeth II and the then Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito at Windsor Castle in 2001. Photo Adrian Dennis/EPA
Charles is formally proclaimed king on Saturday morning
Charles will be formally proclaimed king Saturday morning in a ceremony at St. James’s Palace. Although he automatically became king as soon as Elizabeth passed away, he will be officially crowned this morning by a special committee of senior government officials.
First, the so-called Privy Council will approve the crowning outside the presence of Charles. After that, he will meet with the council and take his oath and sign it. King Charles III will then address the audience from the balcony of the St. James’s Palace. That happens at 11:00 local time (12:00 Dutch time).
The flags may be hung at the top of the mast for 26 hours after the new head of state has been proclaimed. After this, they will hang at half mast again, in honor of the death of Elizabeth II. James’s Palace, where the official crowning takes place, is one of the oldest royal palaces in London.
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Charles gave his first televised speech as king Friday night. Photo Tolga Akmen/EPA
Welcome to this blog
It has been two days this Saturday since Queen Elizabeth II passed away at Balmoral Castle, Scotland.
King Charles III is formally proclaimed king at 11:00 AM Dutch time, and an hour later again to the public at St. James’s Palace. This event will be televised for the first time in history.
In the afternoon, the British Parliament meets to honor the Queen. Elizabeth’s body will be moved to Edinburgh on Saturday.
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Read Friday’s blog here.
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