Procession begins in Edinburgh to transfer coffin of Queen Elizabeth II to St Giles Cathedral
Sep 12, 2022
Edinburgh [Scotland], September 12 : The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest serving monarch in the UK, was transported from the palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles Cathedral on Monday in a special procession.
Thousand of people thronged the streets of Edinburgh to pay tribute to the late Queen whose reign lasted for seven decades.
Queen Elizabeth's coffin arrived at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, following a six-hour journey from Balmoral Castle to the Scottish capital on Sunday.
The British queen breathed her last in Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8. The death of the 96-year-old Queen ended a generation-spanning, seven-decade reign that made her a beacon of stability in a tumultuous world. The UK has entered a period of official mourning, with tributes pouring in worldwide.
King Charles-III was proclaimed as the new monarch of England on Saturday after his mother Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8. Moreover, the national anthem of Britain will now again shift back to "God Save the King" as the British Queen is now no more.
King Charles Philip Arthur George paid tribute to his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and spoke of the "great inheritance and of the duties and heavy responsibilities of Sovereignty."
"I am deeply aware of this great inheritance and of the duties and heavy responsibilities of Sovereignty which have now passed to me. In taking up these responsibilities, I shall strive to follow the inspiring example I have been set in upholding constitutional government and to seek the peace, harmony and prosperity of the peoples of these Islands and of the Commonwealth Realms and Territories throughout the world," the King said soon after being proclaimed Britain's new monarch at the Accession Council at St James's Palace in London.
The UK authorities had devised Operation London Bridge to manage events during the first 10 days between the Queen's death and the funeral and had thought of Operation Unicorn in case the queen died in Scotland. As per the documents seen by The Politico, Thursday was declared as "D-Day" and each following day leading up to the funeral will now be referred to as "D+1," "D+2" till the tenth of the Queen's death.
Ten days after Queen's death, the newly appointed UK Prime Minister Liz Truss will be the first member of the government to make a statement.
Aside from the statement from the PM and other members of the government, gun salutes will be arranged at all saluting stations. Subsequently, Truss will hold an audience with the new king, and King Charles will deliver a broadcast to the nation.
The state funeral will be held at Westminster Abbey on September 19 and there will be a committal service in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. Thereafter, Queen Elizabeth II will be buried in the castle's King George VI Memorial Chapel.
The Queen was born on April 21, 1926, at 17 Bruton Street in Mayfair, London. She was the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York - who later became King George VI - and Queen Elizabeth.