The Queen’s children held a 10 minute Vigil at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh. Video / The Royal Family
As Queen Elizabeth II's four children walked silently behind, a hearse carried her flag-draped coffin along a crowd-lined street in the Scottish capital to a cathedral, where a service of thanksgiving hailed the late monarch as a "constant in all of our lives for over 70 years".
Four days after the 96-year-old Queen died at Balmoral Castle in the Scottish Highlands, a military bagpiper played as her oak coffin, draped in the red-and-yellow Royal Standard of Scotland, was borne from the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh in a solemn procession.
King Charles III, dressed in army uniform, and his siblings Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward walked behind as the hearse travelled to St Giles' Cathedral, flanked by a bearer party of the Royal Regiment of Scotland and a detachment of the Royal Company of Archers, the King's ceremonial bodyguard in Scotland.
Inside the church, the coffin was placed on a wooden stand and topped with the golden Crown of Scotland, encrusted with 22 gems and 20 precious stones along with freshwater pearls from Scotland's rivers.
"And so we gather, to bid Scotland's farewell to our late monarch, whose life of service to the nation and the world we celebrate. And whose love for Scotland was legendary," said the Reverend Calum MacLeod.
Because the Queen died at her summer home of Balmoral, Scotland has been the focus of the world's attention for the first part of Britain's 10 days of national mourning. Large crowds have lined the route as her coffin journeyed from the castle to Edinburgh, underscoring the deep bond between the Queen and Scotland. That bond persisted even as relations soured between the Conservative UK Government in London and the pro-independence Scottish administration in Edinburgh.
Church of Scotland Moderator Iain Greenshields said "most of us cannot recall a time when she was not our monarch".
"Committed to the role she assumed in 1952 upon the death of her beloved father, she has been a constant in all of our lives for over 70 years," he said.
The coffin will remain at the cathedral until today so the public can pay their respects. Thousands of people lined the 1km route between palace and cathedral, some arriving hours early to catch a glimpse.
King Charles and his siblings later stood in silent vigil at the church, lowering their heads as they stood at four sides of their mother's oak coffin alongside members of the Royal Company of Archers. As they performed the traditional vigil, members of the public filed past.
King Charles, Princess Anne and Prince Edward all wore military uniforms, but Prince Andrew did not.
The Royal Navy veteran was stripped of his honorary military titles and was removed as a working royal over his friendship with the notorious US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
King Charles later donned a kilt as he visited the Scottish parliament, where he was greeted by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
"The Queen, like so many generations of our family before her, found in the hills of this land and in the hearts of its people a haven and a home," King Charles told Scottish lawmakers.
The government, meanwhile, announced the nation will observe a minute of silence on Monday, the evening before the Queen's funeral. The Queen's coffin will be flown today to London, where it will lie in state at the Houses of Parliament until the morning of her funeral.
People queue to see the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II as she lies at rest at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh. Photo / AP
Authorities have already issued rules for people wanting to pay their respects in London.
Vanessa Nathakumaran showed up more than two days early to stake out a place.
"I really, really want to be part of it," she said.
• Tomorrow: The coffin is transported from Buckingham Palace to Parliament on a gun carriage, with the King and other royals walking behind.
— It is placed in Parliament's medieval Westminster Hall, where the archbishop of Canterbury conducts a short service. The Queen will then lie in state for four days, until the morning of her funeral. Members of the public will be able to pay their respects and troops will keep a round-the-clock vigil.
• Saturday: The King and Queen Consort will visit Wales.
• Monday: Britain holds a "national moment of reflection" with one minute of silence.
• Tuesday: The Queen's coffin will be taken from Westminster Hall to nearby Westminster Abbey for a state funeral. The funeral marks the end of 10 days of national mourning, and the day will be a public holiday across the UK.
