The Queen’s Coffin in Edinburgh: King Charles Leading the Procession

The Queen’s Chest in Edinburgh
King Charles leads the procession

09/12/2022, 6:08 PM

Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh, is all about mourning the Queen. The new king Charles III. leads a procession with his mother’s coffin. His siblings Anne, Andrew and Edward are also part of the funeral procession, which is largely silent.

Before the remains of Queen Elizabeth II are brought from Edinburgh to London on Tuesday, numerous Scots say goodbye to the monarch during a funeral procession. King Charles III led a procession with the coffin on foot in the old town of the Scottish capital.

While heavy rain fell in Edinburgh on Sunday evening, the sun shone on Monday. Thousands of Scots lined the path as Charles, along with his siblings Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, walked behind the hearse.

The procession led from the royal residence, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, to St Giles Cathedral, just over a kilometer away, where a service was being held. The closed coffin must remain there for about 24 hours, so that the population can continue to say goodbye.

Prince Andrew without uniform

The coffin, wrapped in the royal standard, was carried to the hearse by eight kilt-clad soldiers. A bagpiper played at the beginning before the national anthem. A guard escorted the car, which was moving at a walking pace, to its destination. During the largely silent procession, cannon shots were fired repeatedly in honor of the deceased monarch.

Prince Andrew was the only one of the Queen’s children not to wear a military uniform. Earlier this year, the Queen stripped him of all military ranks for his involvement in the abuse scandal involving the late American multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein. He had already lost his official role as a representative of the royal family. Later in London, according to a report from the PA news agency, he was only allowed to wear a uniform once during mourning ceremonies.

Charles had received condolences that morning from MPs in London. He and his wife, Queen Consort Camilla, were greeted with applause in the afternoon as they drove into Edinburgh city centre. Thousands of people had gathered along the central Royal Mile since the morning hours.

“Operation Spring Tide”

Charles’ trip to Scotland, where he will also receive Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon and receive condolences in Parliament there, is part of “Operation Spring Tide”, which sees Charles as the new King visit all four parts of Scotland. the country. On Tuesday it is Northern Ireland’s turn and a visit to Wales is also on the program.

The Queen’s body is also scheduled to be transferred by plane to London on Tuesday evening, where the deceased will be laid for a few days. On Wednesday, Charles will also lead a funeral procession there, which will lead from Buckingham Palace to Parliament. The coffin will then be set down on a jetty known as a catafalque at Westminster Hall from 5pm local time. Hundreds of thousands of mourners are expected to attend the vigil. A Conservative MP even spoke of up to two million people on Monday.

Until the day of the funeral, the population has the opportunity to pay the queen one last visit and say goodbye. The state funeral, to which Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier wants to travel to Germany, is scheduled for Monday, September 19. The British get an extra day of vacation for this. Until then, national mourning, official events and parliamentary operations are suspended.

The government in London also called on the people of Britain to observe a minute of silence for the Queen the day before the planned state funeral. The memorial is to take place on Sunday evening at 8 p.m. local time (9 p.m. German time).

Holiday in New Zealand

The New Zealand government has declared September 26 a one-time public holiday. A week after the state funeral, the state in the Pacific wants to commemorate the monarch. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that a service would be held at Wellington Cathedral, which would also be televised.

New Zealand is one of the so-called Commonwealth Realms in which the Queen was head of state. A day after the proclamation ceremonies in London, Charles III. the new head of state in New Zealand was officially appointed on Sunday. Queen Elizabeth II died on Thursday at her Scottish estate Balmoral Castle. She sat on the throne for more than 70 years. She was 96 years old.