King Charles III has arrived to address Parliament for the first time as King He then jets to Scotland with his companions. The Queen as her final and saddest journey continues.
There were wild cheers and cries of ‘God Save the King’ as the monarch drove from Clarence House down The Mall for the historic moment before MPs and peers bowed and curtseyed as he walked slowly to his throne with Queen Consort, Camilla.
Along with Sir Keir Starmer, Labour leader and hundreds of other politicians, Liz Truss was also present at Westminster Hall today.
His Majesty heard tributes for the Queen in the near-1,000-year-old Westminster Hall – the ancient heart of the Palace of Westminster where his mother will lie in state from Wednesday evening for four days until her funeral next Monday. Charles seemed sometimes profoundly moved.
In Westminster Hall, both the Commons and Lord Speakers expressed condolences. Charles received a motion of confidence from both houses of Parliament – in another constitutional event that has never been seen on TV before.
In an address on behalf of peers, the Lord Speaker Lord McFall first paid tribute to the Queen’s ‘untiring endeavours for the welfare of her peoples and her fortitude in adversity’ before he ‘pledged’ his support for him.
On Saturday, Sir Lindsay Hoyle gave the King a simple address. This was accepted by all MPs at a special sitting. The Commons Speaker declared that the Queen’s ‘unstinting dedication to the service of our great country… will always be held in affectionate and grateful remembrance’. He also expressed loyalty to the King on behalf of the MPs, saying it is their ‘conviction that he will strive to uphold the liberties and to promote the happiness of the people in all his realms’.
The Queen Consort and King Charles will fly to Scotland after noon and then travel to the Palace to inspect a Guard of Honour. The King follow the hearse to St Giles’ Cathedral – the first time he will have been seen with his mother’s coffin – amid rumours Prince William, Prince Harry and their wives Kate and Meghan could also be there after their shock reunion outside Windsor Castle on Saturday.
At 2.35pm, Charles and Camilla will join a procession to St Giles’ Cathedral 1,200 yards away. Charles, along with other royals, will follow the hearse on its journey down the Royal Mile.
The full details of royal mourners are yet to be revealed, but speculation has it that the Duchess and Duke of Sussex, as well as the Prince and Princess, of Wales will join the group.
Charles will be leading some of the royals by foot. They include Earl of Wessex (Duke of York), Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Queen Consort and other monarchy members will drive.
The Queen Consort and King Charles take their thrones at Westminster Hall. This is where the Queen will be in her state late this week.
Charles was moved by the tributes to Queen Elizabeth, his mother.
MPs and peers bow and curl their eyes to the Queen Consort and monarch.
They smile when they first meet in London at this historical moment.
Charles III and Camilla Queen Consort leave to address Parliament in a historic event of great symbolic significance
Labour leader Keir Sternmer and Liz Truss are Prime Ministers of Labour, in preparation for the arrival of King Charles III
Boris Johnson is now in Westminster Hall, just days after leaving No 10.
For the historic occasion, even Jeremy Corbyn (an anti-monarchist) was present in Parliament
Yeomen Warders marche out of Westminster Hall in the Palace of Westminster where the House of Commons meets with the House of Lords to offer condolences.
The public watches as the hearse carrying Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin is driven through Edinburgh. It is draped with the Royal Standard of Scotland.
The coffin of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth is carried by pallbearers as they arrive at Edinburgh’s Palace of Holyroodhouse.
They camped out overnight outside of St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh. On Monday they will pay their respects.
As they wait for the cortege to carry the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, a man and his dog arrived early.
The princess royal curtseys when the coffin of Queen Elizabeth 2 is covered with the Royal Standard of Scotland.
Yesterday, Princess Anne was comforted by the Countess of Wessex as her family watched Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin arrive at Edinburgh and be laid to rest at The Palace of Holyroodhouse.
The crown of Scotland will be placed onto the coffin at the cathedral. Following the funeral, guests will have an opportunity to submit their past and pay their respects.
The Vigil Of The Princes is performed at 7.20pm by King George VI and his brothers. Tomorrow evening the coffin will be flown back to London with Princess Anne and her mother.
The coffin will then be taken to the State Hearse upon arrival at RAF Northolt, west London, at 6.55pm. The coffin will be received by a Guard of Honour at Buckingham Palace.
A bearer party of the Queen’s Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, will carry it to the Bow Room where it will be placed on trestles, witnessed by King Charles and the Queen Consort. The coffin will be watched by Chaplains to King.
The Countess of Wessex was pictured comforting Princess Anne yesterday as members of the royal family watched Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin arrive in Edinburgh to lie in rest at the Palace of Holyroodhouse overnight.
Sophie, 57, the wife of the Queen’s youngest son Prince Edward, 58, was seen placing her hand on the Princess Royal’s back in a supportive gesture after the coffin made the journey from Balmoral to the Scottish city.
As soldiers of the Royal Regiment of Scotland brought the coffin to the Palace, Princess Royal’s children and spouses (Princes Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence and Duke of York) watched.
A touching moment was observed when deference towards the monarch was maintained, as the royal ladies curtseyed and the men bowed their heads.
Her Majesty was not alone on her journey of 180 miles. Anne and her husband rode in a limousine together as part of an entourage.
The Queen will stay at the palace overnight before being moved to St Giles’ Cathedral tomorrow afternoon – where earlier a large crowd had gathered to witness the midday proclamation of King Charles as head of state.
Yesterday Princess Anne, Sophie, and other royals looked on with tears as they viewed floral tributes for the Queen at Balmoral.
As she left Balmoral to go home, mourners from Scotland paid their respects by filling the route with thousands of people as Her Majesty’s coffin procession.
The well-wishers, silent and respectful, met beside bridges, country roads and village centres to say good bye to the woman who never seemed more at home when she was in Scotland.
When the procession finally reached Edinburgh’s Palace of Holyroodhouse after six hours, there were already 10 people gathered along the Royal Mile. It was a famed thoroughfare that Queen Elizabeth II knew very well.
The procession was nearing its conclusion when flowers were placed in front of the hearse. They came from William Purvis who is a Scottish family-owned funeral director. There was spontaneous applause from some sections of the Royal Mile crowd.
One point as the cortege traveled through Dundee, one long-stemmed bloom could be seen on their hearse windscreen. In a rural area of the route, farmers paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth with rows upon fields of tractors.
Tomorrow’s visit to Edinburgh will see King Charles and Camilla Queen Consort join the other siblings and walk alongside his coffin as it moves from the Palace into St Giles’ Cathedral. With other Royal Family members, the monarch will hold an evening vigil for the coffin.
Yesterday, the hearse traveled at an elegant pace in the countryside of Aberdeenshire thanks to a single police motorbike outrider. One point as the cortege traveled through Dundee, one long-stemmed bloom could be seen on its windscreen. A few miles further, farmers in rural areas paid respect to the monarch, with their tractors placed in a field.
Many people lined Ballater’s main street, a picturesque Victorian village near the Balmoral estate. Locals thought she was a neighbor, and the Queen’s coffin, which was slowly driven through, attracted many. She and her family often visited the Royal Deeside village, where she was born and raised.
Glenmuick Church was passed by the hearse, and the Rev David Barr had rung the bells there 70 times following the announcement of Queen’s passing.
Both sides of Ballater’s road were silent and sombre, so well-wishers threw flowers in the hearse’s path. After the hearse had slowed down to a walking speed, mourners could see the Royal Standard-draped Coffin and the wreath made of flowers from Balmoral Estate, including sweetpeas.
As thousands travel to Scotland to pay their respects, hundreds of pilgrims are making their way to Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.
Deference to the monarch was maintained in touching gestures with the royal ladies curtseying while the men bowing their heads.
Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence is the Duke of York and Princess Royal. The Countess of Wessex, Earl of Wessex, and the Princess Royal are awaiting Queen’s coffin at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh.
She was greeted by her three children as well as other relatives upon arriving at Holyroodhouse. From left to right, Prince Andrew and the Earl are shown.
Outside of the Palace of Holyroodhouse at Edinburgh: The Earl of Wessex and the Duke of York.
As Queen Elizabeth’s coffin is being carried by the hearse, Princess Anne looks on.
Nicola Sturgeon was the First Minister of Scotland and paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth when she made her last journey through Scotland’s Highlands just after 10am.
In a tweet, Ms Sturgeon stated that it was a sad moment for Her Majesty as the Queen departs Balmoral. As she traveled to Edinburgh yesterday, Scotland paid tribute to an exceptional woman.
A Queen’s oak coffin was decorated with the Royal Standard of Scotland and a wreath of Balmoral Flowers on the top. It began its journey in Queen Victoria’s summer sanctuary, the Highlands, to reach Ballater.
Ballater residents considered the queen a neighbor, with her and her family frequently seen in Royal Deeside village. This is where she was born and raised.
Tens of thousands of people witnessed the final stages of Queen Elizabeth’s journey, and the death of this monarch became starkly real.
After Her Majesty’s departure from Balmoral, many had traveled through the night in order to get their places along the route.
Yesterday’s photo shows Princess Anne (pictured yesterday), and Sophie (pictured yesterday). They were teary-eyed while they gazed at the floral tributes left by Queen Balmoral to her, along with other royal family members.
The Queen’s oak coffin, draped in Royal Standard of Scotland, reached its climax on the trip to Edinburgh.
As the Queen’s coffin was slowly driven past the main street of the village, hundreds lined its streets. Many shops had displayed photos of the monarch to show their respect.
Glenmuick Church was passed by the hearse, and the Rev David Barr had rung the bells there 70 times following the announcement of Queen’s passing.
Slowly, the vehicle moved at a walking pace. The wreath with Balmoral flowers and sweet peas was clearly visible by mourners.
Aberdeen native Elizabeth Taylor was overcome with emotion as she thought about what had just happened.
“It was very emotionally.” They were respectful of her and expressed their respect for the Queen. This woman gave their all for this country until the last days of her life.
Yesterday’s Her Majesty cortege toured through Edinburgh, bringing tribute to Edinburgh.
Her coffin, which was carried from Balmoral Castle in Scotland to Holyroodhouse by thousands of people on Sunday afternoon, attracted many supporters.
Andrew Brown (63), a Royal fan, watched as the hearse travelled down the Royal Mile. He said that everything had seemed surreal up until this point, but it has all been reaffirmed. Although I was in shock and numbness, seeing the coffin, cortege and other details with my own eyes made it all seem much more tangible.
Scott from Glasgow added, “It’s sad, but it’s okay. It was fitting that the Queen of Scotland, who loved Scotland so much, began her final journey at Balmoral.
Ashley Coventry (hairdresser) lives in Edinburgh and said that it felt strange. We all knew that it would happen. It is not the realization of being there – that is history. The number of visitors to this area is amazing. Many people came from far away to visit this place.
Ashley shared the moment with Hannah, nine-year old, and Scott, 39. It’s like nothing I have ever seen. Scott shared that “The Queen was loved by our family and it is very sad.”
Lynda Amos (69) and Richard Amos (67), shared their story of how they left their vacation in the Scottish Highlands to go to Edinburgh to say their goodbyes. They live in Duns, in the Scottish Borders 50 miles from the capital.
Lynda stated, “We arrived right here. We’re devastated. After seeing photos of Liz Truss just days prior, it was a shocking shock. Although it’s so disappointing, this is also the beginning of something new. Their lives have always included the Queen. My dad was in the RAF, and he was there when my father died. All of them went to the airport to be there when Queen Elizabeth flew home to Britain.
“We’ve been here for garden parties a few times. They would be hosted by the Queen on her annual trip up to Balmoral. Everybody was well dressed and the Queen would put in a lot of effort. Her smile was infectious.
Richard, chartered surveyor, said that “Being there makes the hair on your back stand up.”
It comes after King Charles was greeted by thousands of well-wishers as he arrived at Buckingham Palace where he met with representatives from the Commonwealth.
The Mall’s length was lined with crowds, including young children who were excited to sit on the shoulders of their parents taking photos. The monarch was driven by his Rolls-Royce in state from Clarence House and through the Palace gates. At around 1pm, four police motorbikes and four cars accompanied him.
After arriving at Buckingham Palace the King was immediately followed by Camilla, Queen consort. He was cheered also by mourners.
Charles met Commonwealth general secretary Patricia Scotland in the 1844 Room at 2pm yesterday, before attending a reception with High Commissioners and their spouses from countries where he is head of state at the royal residence’s Bow Room. Then at 3.30pm, the King – who was formally proclaimed at St James’s Palace yesterday – received the Dean of Windsor.
Guests included Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and the Commissioner for Antigua and Barbuda – whose republican Prime Minister is threatening a referendum on ditching the Crown – as well as representatives for Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, New Zealand, St Christopher and Nevis, St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines, and the Honorary Consul of Tuvalu and the Acting High Commissioner for Australia.
In the weeks leading up to his state funeral at Westminster Abbey in London and burial at St George’s Chapel at Windsor on Thursday, April 96, Queen Elizabeth II and the King will be on tour in four of their home countries.