Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - The coffin of his mother, Queen Elizabeth , will be taken in a solemn procession from one of her Scottish...
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| Image: Reuters |
Berita 24 English - The coffin of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, will be taken in a solemn procession from one of her Scottish palaces to the historic St. Giles cathedral in Edinburgh on Monday. King Charles will fly there to be with his siblings.
The new king or queen will also attend a vigil with other senior royals at the church where the body will be laid to rest before it is flown to London on Tuesday.
Elizabeth died at her Scottish vacation home, Balmoral Castle, when she was 96 years old. Since then, a carefully choreographed series of plans have been put into place to honour Britain's monarch for 70 years.
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.
Rachel Lindsay, who is 24, said, "It's just very sad." "I don't think we ever thought it would happen. I thought she would live forever. I didn't believe it until I saw it."
Charles, who is 73 years old and became king of the UK and 14 other realms, including Australia, Canada, Jamaica, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea, will go to the British parliament for another traditional ceremony before going to Scotland.
Both the lower House of Commons and the higher House of Lords will send condolences to the new king at Westminster Hall. The new king will also say something.
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.
Then, the queen's children will walk in a procession 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.
It will always be watched over by soldiers or "beefeaters" from the Tower of London, who are Yeoman Warders.
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."
While this is going on, 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.
When Charles's first wife, Princess Diana, died in a car crash in Paris in 1997, it was the last time Britain had 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."
