Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - King Charles will meet with lawmakers in parliament in London on Monday. He will then fly to Edinburgh ...
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| Image: Reuters |
The new king or queen will also attend a vigil with other senior royals at St. Giles' Cathedral, where the body will lie in state until Tuesday, when it will be flown to London.
Elizabeth died at her Scottish vacation home, Balmoral Castle, when she was 96 years old. Since then, a carefully planned series of events has been put in place to honour the 70-year-old monarch.
Prince Harry's first public statement since his grandmother's death was a touching tribute to his "granny" on Monday. He said that she would be sorely missed not just by the family but by people all over the world.
"Granny, I'll always be grateful for all of our first meetings, from the earliest memories I have of you as a child to the first time I met you as my Commander-in-Chief to the first time you met my sweet wife and hugged your beloved great grandchildren."
"We smile, too, knowing that you and grandpa are together again and at peace," Harry said, referring to Prince Philip, Elizabeth's husband of 73 years who died last year.
On Sunday, her oak coffin, which was covered with the Royal Standard of Scotland and had a wreath on top, was taken from Balmoral to Edinburgh in a hearse. The trip took six hours and went through beautiful Scottish countryside, villages, small towns, and cities.
Tens of thousands of people lined the roads to pay their respects, and in Edinburgh, huge crowds, some with tears in their eyes, gathered to welcome the funeral procession.
"When the queen's coffin came out of Balmoral Castle yesterday, I think it was a very important moment," Scotland's Deputy First Minister, John Swinney, said on BBC radio.
"I think people took a deep breath because what we've all been going through for the last few days suddenly became real and visible."
Charles, who is 73 years old and automatically became king of the UK and 14 other realms, such as Australia, Canada, Jamaica, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea, will go to the British parliament for another traditional ceremony before heading to Scotland.
At Westminster Hall, members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords will say how sorry they are about the death of his mother, and the king will respond.
He will then fly to Edinburgh with his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, to meet up with his sister Anne and brothers Andrew and Edward.
The children of the queen will walk behind the hearse as soldiers carry their mother's coffin to St. Giles' Cathedral.
THE KING OF SCOTLAND
When the coffin gets to the church, the Duke of Hamilton and Brandon, who is the most important peer in Scotland, will put the Crown of Scotland on it.
The coffin will be at the cathedral for 24 hours after the service so that people can pay their respects. Soldiers from the Queen's "Body Guard in Scotland," the Royal Company of Archers, will keep a constant watch.
Charles will also go to the Scottish parliament and meet with the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon. At 7:20 p.m., he will start a vigil. along with other royals at 8:20 p.m.
On Tuesday, the coffin will be flown to London, where it will lie in state on a catafalque at Westminster Hall until early on September 19, the day of Elizabeth's state funeral.
Soldiers or Yeoman Warders, also called "beefeaters," from the Tower of London will watch over it.
People will be able to walk past the coffin, which will be covered by the Royal Standard and topped with the sovereign's Orb and Sceptre, from midnight to 6:30 a.m. every day. On September 19 at 05:30 GMT,
"Those who want to go will have to wait in line for a long time, maybe even all night," the government said in a statement. "Large crowds are expected, so people should check ahead, make plans, and be ready to wait for a long time."
At the same time, thousands of people are still bringing flowers to royal palaces all over Britain. Some of the tributes are being taken to Green Park, which is near London's Buckingham Palace. There, long lines of bouquets now snake around the park so that people can read the tributes.
Messages of sympathy from other people have been tied to trees.
"The loss of the queen has really hurt me," 43-year-old Amy Gibbs said outside Buckingham Palace. "She was a wonderful woman who did her best and gave us everything," I said.
In 1997, when Charles's first wife, Princess Diana, died in a car crash in Paris, Britain last saw such a public show of grief.
Helen Soo, 59, said, "It makes me think of Diana from 25 years ago." "I was a lot younger back then. I spent the night in Hyde Park, so this is probably 100 times worse."
