From Balmoral, the coffin will travel to Edinburgh, London and finally Windsor, where Queen Elizabeth II will be interred next to her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, in a small family vault. Video / AP
Kiwis living in Scotland will be chief among those queuing to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II as she makes her final journey through a country she loved.
Thousands silently lined the streets as the hearse led a seven-car cortege from Balmoral, where the Queen died on Friday at age 96, for a six-hour trip through Scottish towns and arriving at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh early this morning.
That's where the Queen will stay before the coffin travels up the Royal Mile to St Giles' Cathedral, accompanied by King Charles III and other members of the royal family.
The hearse carrying Queen Elizabeth II, draped with the Royal Standard of Scotland, passes along Canongate as it completes its journey from Balmoral to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Photo / AP
Members of the public will have the opportunity to view the Queen's coffin at the cathedral before it is flown to London ahead of the funeral that will begin about 10pm on Monday [NZ time].
Thousands upon thousands again flocked to Buckingham Palace and the surrounding areas to commemorate their fallen monarch.
Demand became so strong that officials manning entrances to the neighbouring Green Park were forced to briefly close the gates at times throughout the day, as the number of people wishing to leave flowers and trinkets grew.
Among them was New Zealand's Health Minister Andrew Little, who was in London for duties relating to his role as minister responsible for intelligence services and would soon be meeting the United Kingdom's new Secretary of State for Health, Deputy Prime Minister Thérèse Coffey.
Health Minister Andrew Little, in London for business pertaining to his intelligence services portfolio, left flowers at Buckingham Palace. Photo / Supplied
Unable to make it through the crowds of the day before, Little told the Herald he was glad to have made it to Buckingham Palace, where he left flowers and a note, thanking the Queen for her service.
"She has continued in that role as active monarch right up to her last day and what she has done in the meantime is quite phenomenal," Little said.
He said he was struck by the strong sense of "thanks and gratitude" people were expressing for the Queen's service, over and above their sadness.
The sadness and gratitude were echoed by Ereti Mitchell, president of New Zealand Society Scotland - a branch of a UK not-for-profit group connecting Kiwis abroad and enhancing international relations.
Mitchell, of Gisborne and Ngāti Porou, said she and the thousands of New Zealanders in Scotland would be among those hoping to pay their respects in person.
Flowers and messages for Queen Elizabeth II are seen at the Green Park memorial, near Buckingham Palace, in London on September 10. Photo / AP
"All the ones from Edinburgh, they'll probably be in the queues now," she said.
"She was so loved, everybody loved her."
Mitchell, a long admirer of the royal family, recalled her meeting the Queen in 2018 when she and other representatives from the Commonwealth living in the UK had been invited to Buckingham Palace.
Dressed in a korowai given to her by her sister, Mitchell was taken aback by the Queen's interest in it during the function.
"She said, 'Hmm that's not the real thing is it', I said, 'No ma'am it's not' ... she just grinned," Mitchell said.
"To me, that was the most precious moment that she came over, of all the people there, she made a beeline for me and touched my korowai and I thought, 'I'm never going to forget that night ever'."
President of New Zealand Society Scotland Ereti Mitchell (second from right) meets the Queen in 2018 while dressed in a korowai. Photo / Supplied
Mitchell said it was fitting for the Queen's coffin to travel through Scotland, given her affinity for the area.
"This is where she always wanted to be, so I think she got her wish."
New Zealand Society president The Honourable Clarence Tan told the Herald he was often struck by how strongly engaged the Queen was with New Zealand.
"She would ask about where you were from in the country and she mentioned that she loved the korowai she was given."
Asked whether her death would change New Zealand's position on the monarchy, Tan acknowledged questions would be asked in due course, but he was confident the new King was well regarded by Kiwis.
