Balmoral Castle

Crowds lined the route in Scotland as the United Kingdom mourns its longest-reigning monarch.

He was meeting at Buckingham Palace with the secretary-general of the Commonwealth, a group of nations that grapples with affection for the queen and lingering bitterness over their own colonial legacies. and let’s face it Scots tend not to like everyone, but had a special place of affection for the queen,” Fisher said. Early on Sunday flowers and other tributes were piled up outside the gates of both Balmoral and Holyroodhouse.

The hearse carrying the coffin of Britain's Queen Elizabeth departs Balmoral Castle, in Balmoral, Scotland, Britain September 11, 2022.

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Queen Elizabeth II's coffin left her Scottish estate as the monarch who died after 70 years on the throne begins her last journey to London.

The coffin will be moved from Buckingham Palace on Wednesday to the Houses of Parliament to lie in state until a state funeral at Westminster Abbey on Sept. “When she comes up here, and she goes through those gates, I believe the royal part of her stays mostly outside,” he said. Hundreds of people watched in silence and some threw flowers in front of the hearse as it passed. Many in those nations are grappling with affection for the queen and lingering Earlier, proclamations were read in other parts of the Commonwealth, including Australia and New Zealand. It came a day after a pomp-filled accession ceremony in England for that king that was steeped in ancient tradition and political symbolism. In each Scottish town and village the entourage drove through, they were met with muted scenes of respect. In a slow, somber and regal procession, Queen Elizabeth II’s flag-draped coffin was driven through the Scottish countryside Sunday from her beloved Balmoral Castle to the Scottish capital of Edinburgh. By afternoon, crowds were 10 people deep in places, eager to be part of the occasion. “I think it is going to take a lot of adjusting that she is not here. Hours before the coffin’s arrival in Edinburgh, the Scottish capital, people turned out early to grab a space by police barricades. [queen died Thursday](https://apnews.com/article/queen-elizabeth-ii-remembrance-8013aa054b8d3dc0dbda80ebda2cea41) at age 96, for a six-hour trip through Scottish towns to Holyroodhouse palace in Edinburgh.

The royal family will gather for ceremonies in Scotland before the coffin is flown to London on Tuesday.

[Harry and Meghan announced in 2020 that they planned to no longer be working royals](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/08/world/europe/prince-harry-meghan-markle-royal-family.html) and move to the United States. [elevated her son Charles](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/08/world/europe/charles-king-uk.html) to the British throne, it also reordered the line of succession, with members of the royal family each moving up one position. It will be loaded into a state hearse and driven to Buckingham Palace, arriving at 8 p.m., when it will be placed on a trestle in the ballroom. A few bystanders have thrown flowers in the path of the vehicles as the town pays its silent and somber tribute. The procession carrying the queen’s coffin is taking a brief break to rest and refuel, according to the BBC. The queen will be buried in the King George VI Memorial Chapel alongside her parents, George VI and Queen Elizabeth, known as the queen mother. “All 4 One,” read the headline in [The Sun](https://www.thesun.co.uk/) on Sunday, a leading tabloid. [muted funeral ceremony](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/17/world/europe/funeral-prince-philip-uk.html) because of restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic. 19, when the queen’s coffin is expected to be placed on the same green gun carriage that carried her forefathers for a final procession down the Mall, which runs between Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square in central London. The queen’s coffin has arrived at Holyroodhouse, the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. In Edinburgh large crowds were building, and a big security operation was underway, with hundreds of police officers and stewards lining the Royal Mile. The coffin will spend the night there and be taken to St.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II embarks on her journey on Sunday with thousands of her mourning subjects expected to line the route from her Scottish retreat ...

The United Kingdom is observing more than a week of mourning, culminating in her state funeral in London on September 19. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II embarked on a last journey on Sunday from her Scottish retreat at Balmoral where she died to the Scottish capital, with thousands of mourners lining the route. [Queen Elizabeth II](https://www.france24.com/en/tag/queen-elizabeth-ii/) embarks on her journey on Sunday with thousands of her mourning subjects expected to line her coffin's route from the Scottish retreat where she died. Flags atop the Indian parliament, President House, Red Fort and other government offices in New Delhi were lowered. Follow FRANCE 24’s live coverage of the day’s events. [Xi Jinping](https://www.france24.com/en/tag/xi-jinping/) on Sunday congratulated [Charles III](https://www.france24.com/en/tag/king-charles-iii/) on his accession to the British throne, state media reported.

The coffin heads more than 100 miles to the royal Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.

Paul Campbell /PA Images via Getty Images toggle caption 19](https://www.npr.org/2022/09/10/1122217268/queen-elizabeth-funeral-september-19). Owen Humphreys /PA Images via Getty Images hide caption Owen Humphreys /PA Images via Getty Images toggle caption Peter Byrne /PA Images via Getty Images hide caption Peter Byrne /PA Images via Getty Images toggle caption "We don't really need them. Paul Campbell /PA Images via Getty Images hide caption The hearse drove out of the gates of Balmoral past piles of flowers left by the public. Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images hide caption The route takes her through villages and towns which are expected to be lined by her subjects. Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images toggle caption

The late Queen Elizabeth II's coffin arrived in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh on Sunday after traveling six hours by car from Balmoral Castle, ...

A viral piece published in [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/mar/16/what-happens-when-queen-elizabeth-dies-london-bridge) in 2017 last year shed light on the specific plans to be put into motion if the queen were to die at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, the royal family’s Highlands holiday home where the queen would spend [several weeks each summer](https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a12001419/balmoral-castle-scotland/), a situation that [became reality](https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2022/09/08/queen-elizabeth-uks-longest-reigning-monarch-dead-at-96/?sh=52134ec129f3) last week. Sturgeon has argued that the U.K.’s decision to leave the European Union—which the majority of Scottish people voted against—could justify another independence referendum, following a 2014 vote in which 55% of Scottish voters cast a ballot against independence. [internally introduced](https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2022/09/08/operation-london-bridge-inside-plans-for-queen-elizabeths-death-and-funeral/?sh=365f8bcd713f) in the royal household in the 1960’s, laying out a tentative guide for how to proceed. A series of contingency plans for the queen’s death were reportedly first George’s Chapel in a crypt alongside her late father, King George VI, the Queen Mother and her sister, Princess Margaret (the queen’s late husband, Prince Philip, will reportedly Giles’ Cathedral followed by a viewing for the public to pay their respects that will last into the following afternoon. In May, a poll found one in three people in Scotland said the queen’s death would be a good time to [abolish the monarchy](https://www.britishfuture.org/jubilee-britain-after-a-decade-of-upheaval-where-are-we-going-now/), compared to only one-fourth of British people overall. [‘Operation London Bridge’: Inside Plans For Queen Elizabeth’s Death And Funeral](https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2022/09/08/operation-london-bridge-inside-plans-for-queen-elizabeths-death-and-funeral/?sh=365f8bcd713f) (Forbes) [Britain’s plan for when Queen Elizabeth II dies](https://www.politico.eu/article/queen-elizabeth-death-plan-britain-operation-london-bridge/) (Politico) ['London Bridge is down': the secret plan for the days after the Queen’s death](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/mar/16/what-happens-when-queen-elizabeth-dies-london-bridge) (The Guardian) There has been speculation that the death of the queen could serve as an impetus for independence. The new Prime Minister Liz Truss previously said she will “never ever let [our family be split up](https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/scottish-independence-liz-truss-says-she-will-never-ever-allow-uk-family-to-be-split-up-3808429),” when asked about Scotland leaving the U.K. Documents obtained by Politico last year showed that a plan titled “ [Operation Unicorn](https://www.politico.eu/article/queen-elizabeth-death-plan-britain-operation-london-bridge/)” would have gone into effect if the queen’s casket were to be taken from Scotland back to England by train, while the plan that appears to have been taken was known as “Operation Overstudy,” which dictates the coffin will be [flown to London](https://www.politico.eu/article/queen-elizabeth-death-plan-britain-operation-london-bridge/). [be moved](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2021/04/18/where-prince-philip-buried-queen-dies-george-vi-memorial-chapel/) from another vault in the church to join her).

The seven-car cortege, with a police escort and the Queen's daughter Princess Anne, slowly made its way towards Edinburgh, as crowds of people gathered to ...

[Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan escapes plane crash as flight makes emergency landing en route to Gujranwala rally] [Queen Elizabeth II](/topic/queen-elizabeth-ii)'s funeral cortege which began its journey on Sunday from Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire to the late monarch's official Scottish residence of Holyroodhouse Palace in the capital city of Edinburgh, Scotland. UK: Queen Elizabeth's funeral cortege left Balmoral castle to be moved first to Edinburgh, Scotland & then…— ANI (@ANI) [Queen](/topic/queen), who died at the age of 96 at Balmoral on Thursday evening.

People gather in tribute as the cortege carrying the coffin of the late Queen Elizabeth II passes by in Banchory, United Kingdom.

On Monday, she'll be conveyed from the palace to nearby St. Gamekeepers from the summer retreat Balmoral, where the queen died on Thursday after 70 years on the throne, carried the late sovereign's oak coffin from the castle's ballroom to a hearse. The route takes her through villages and towns which are expected to be lined by her subjects.