September 12, 2022 10:18
From Monday, the British will be able to see their late queen up close, as her body, which was transported to Edinburgh, will be laid to rest as the farewell week begins, leading to the national funeral on September 19.
Many people are expected to flock to Edinburgh’s St Gillette Cathedral to glimpse the last glimpse of Queen Elizabeth II, who died Thursday, given the crowds that gathered Sunday along the path of the procession that carried her coffin from Balmoral Palace to the Scottish capital.
In Edinburgh, tens of thousands of people welcomed the procession carrying the late Queen’s coffin on Sunday afternoon, in an indication of the popularity of Elizabeth II, who ruled the United Kingdom for more than 70 years and died at the age of 96 on Thursday after she appointed Liz Terrace to be the 15th prime minister in her era.
“I was only able to see her from a distance but it’s very touching. She was a wonderful woman and it’s sad. I have great respect for her,” Edinburgh receptionist Theresa Brown said after the motorcade passed.
Awaiting the national funeral on September 19, her son, the new king, gradually began to assume his duties, succeeding his widely popular mother.
Charles III holds this position and is the oldest British monarch upon his accession to the throne.
Charles III will go to Parliament at ten (9 GMT), accompanied by his wife Camilla, to receive the condolences of the presidents of both houses of Parliament.
They then board a plane to Edinburgh on their way to Holyroodhouse, the official royal residence in Scotland, where the late Queen’s coffin was kept last night, guarded by the Royal Archers Corps, a ceremony unit guarded by the Queen.
Next, for the workers in this palace, where the Queen usually spends early summer and holds a reception in the garden of eight thousand guests, Elizabeth II bid farewell one last time, as did the staff of Balmoral Palace, where she died Thursday.
Charles and Camilla
Behind the casket The casket leaves the palace early in the afternoon at 14:35 (1335 GMT) to move to Saint-Gilles Cathedral.
The king and his wife will walk behind the coffin while the rest of the royal family will travel by car for a journey lasting half an hour. The cathedral is more than a kilometer from the palace.
During religious ceremonies the Scottish crown, made of pure gold, will be placed on the casket.
The Queen’s body will lie in the cathedral for 24 hours, and many are expected to come to say goodbye to Elizabeth II one last time.
On Sunday, tens of thousands waited for hours to be in the front rows to take a last farewell, if only for a second, at the coffin made of oak.
Some foreigners whose visit to the United Kingdom coincided with this historic event expressed their admiration for this unity between the people and the Queen.
After the religious ceremony, Charles III, who has promised to serve his people all his life, receives Scottish Prime Minister and pro-independence Nicola Sturgeon and then heads to the local parliament, which holds a funeral council.
And at 19:20 (1820 GMT), the royal family begins a nightly funeral.
The body will be transferred on Tuesday evening by air from Edinburgh Airport on a royal plane to London.
The body will lie in a casket wrapped in the royal flag around the clock on a platform in the Palace of Westminster from Wednesday evening and for five days until the day of the national funeral.
World dignitaries are expected to participate in the funeral, including US President Joe Biden, French Emmanuel Macron, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, as well as many members of the royal families.
Source: agencies
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