King Charles III and his siblings walk behind the Queen’s coffin for the first time at a procession in Edinburgh
- King Charles and his siblings walked behind the Queen’s coffin in Edinburgh on Monday.
- The royal led a procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles’ Cathedral.
King Charles III and his siblings walked behind Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin for the first time ahead of a Service of Thanksgiving celebrating her life on Monday.
The Queen died at Balmoral Castle on Thursday at the age of 96. The monarch’s coffin made a six-hour journey from Balmoral in Aberdeenshire to Holyroodhouse, the royal family’s official residence in Edinburgh, on Sunday. It usually takes approximately two-and-a-half hours to make the journey by car.
As Insider previously reported, Princess Anne and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, traveled in a car behind the hearse for the journey.
On Monday, the new king was joined by Princess Anne, Prince Edward, and Prince Andrew as they led the procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles’ Cathedral, where the service is being held.
Thousands of people were pictured lining the Royal Mile, the street which runs between the Palace of Holyroodhouse and Edinburgh Castle, ahead of the service.
Other notable people in attendance include Queen Consort Camilla, and Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who spoke at the ceremony, according to the Order of Service obtained by Insider.
Members of the public can visit the cathedral and pay their respects, according to the Scottish Government website.
The Queen’s coffin will lie in rest at the cathedral before being relocated to Westminster Hall in London on Wednesday, where the public will be able to visit in advance of her funeral on Monday, September 19, the royal website states.
Recent guidance from the UK government said queues are expected to be “very long,” adding that visitors “will need to stand for many hours, possibly overnight, with very little opportunity to sit down, as the queue will keep moving.”
