Queen’s coffin arrives in Scottish capital

Our live coverage has ended for the day.

Read our full report on the Queen’s procession from Balmoral Castle to Edinburgh here, and read here for the latest on the monarch’s funeral plans.

Crowds gathered along the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, Scotland, to pay their respects on Sunday as the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II arrived at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

It ended a six-hour journey from Balmoral Castle, with the procession traveling through villages and cities before arriving in Scotland’s capital.

The Queen’s coffin has arrived at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in the Scottish capital Edinburgh, completing the first leg of the monarch’s eight-day final journey.

Britain’s longest-serving monarch died Thursday at the age of 96 at her Scottish country estate in Balmoral. Her funeral will be held in London on September 19.

Crowds of mourners lined the streets of villages and cities across Scotland, paying tribute to the monarch as her cortege made its way to Edinburgh in a six-hour journey. People in the Scottish capital had camped out in anticipation of the arrival of the Queen.

Upon arrival at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the coffin was greeted with an honor guard made up of the Royal Regiment of Scotland who performed a royal salute.

The coffin was set to be transferred to the palace’s Throne Room, where household staff will be able to pay their final respects to the late monarch – similar to how the coffin was placed in the ballroom at Balmoral.

The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II arrived in the Scottish capital Edinburgh on Sunday afternoon, after a six-hour journey through the Scottish countryside.

Huge crowds gathered along the city’s iconic Royal Mile to bid farewell to the Queen, who died on Thursday at the age of 96.

Earlier in the day, people told CNN’s team on the ground that this was “a moment in history” and that the monarch was “very loved in Scotland.”

The coffin will subsequently arrive at the forecourt of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where it will be greeted with an honor guard made up of the Royal Regiment of Scotland who will perform a royal salute in the forecourt.

CNN’s Isa Soares and Anna Gorzkowska in Edinburgh contributed reporting.

Mourners lined the streets as the coffin carrying Queen Elizabeth II passed through the cities of Aberdeen and Dundee – two key stops along its six-hour journey to Edinburgh.

The coffin was driven along Aberdeen’s North Deeside Road passing along the Great Western Road, before passing by Duthie Park, a 44-acre public park.

Members of the public, as well as former and current members of the armed forces, gathered in great numbers along the park’s perimeter on the Great Southern Road for a special ceremony. 

The Queen’s corgis will live with the Duke and Duchess of York, Andrew and Sarah, a source close to the Duke of York told CNN on Sunday.

The pair, who divorced in 1996, both reside at the Royal Lodge on the Windsor estate.

The source told CNN that Sarah, Duchess of York bonded with the late Queen over a shared love of dog walking and horse riding.

Even after her divorce from Prince Andrew, Sarah continued her friendship with the Queen by walking dogs through the Windsor estate, the source added.

In addition to her two Pembroke Welsh corgis, Muick and Sandy, the Queen is reported to have left behind an older, mixed breed “dorgi” called Candy and a cocker spaniel named Lissy.

People in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh have been camping out in anticipation of the arrival of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II.

The coffin left Balmoral Castle shortly after 10 a.m. (5 a.m. ET) on Sunday, before passing through several villages and the cities of Aberdeen and Dundee.

Later, it will make its way down the Royal Mile in Edinburgh before being taken to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland.

People have been telling the CNN team on the ground that this is “a moment in history” and that Queen Elizabeth II was “very loved in Scotland.”

Hilary Gemmell said she drove one and a half hours to Edinburgh with her mother as they wanted to come and pay their respects to the Queen.

“On Thursday night I definitely had a tear in my eye. I feel like we’ve lost one of the family,” Gemmell said.

There are people camped out along the Royal Mile with chairs, holding spots for the next few hours so they can be there for the arrival coffin, according to the CNN team on the ground.

Prince William has spoken to the first minister of Wales and expressed his honor in being made Prince of Wales by King Charles III, according to a Kensington Palace statement on Sunday.

In a telephone conversation with Mark Drakeford, the Prince of Wales “acknowledged his and the Princess’s deep affection for Wales, having made their first family home in Anglesey including during the earliest months of Prince George’s life,” the statement read.

The statement added that the new Prince and Princess of Wales will “serve the Welsh people” with “humility and great respect.”

According to the statement, they will spend the months and years ahead deepening their relationship with communities across Wales.

“They want to do their part to support the aspirations of the Welsh people and to shine a spotlight on both the challenges and opportunities in front of them. The Prince and Princess look forward to celebrating Wales’ proud history and traditions as well as a future that is full of promise.

“They will seek to live up to the proud contribution that members of the Royal family have made in years past,” the statement adds.

Antigua and Barbuda, a Commonwealth country and former colony of the British Empire, will hold a referendum on becoming a republic and removing King Charles III as the head of state within three years, its prime minister has said.  

Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne told the UK’s ITV News on Saturday that “this is a matter that has to be taken to a referendum for the people to decide.”

This was Browne’s first interview since the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday.

Browne said “it does not represent any form of disrespect to the monarch. This is not an act of hostility, or any difference between Antigua and Barbuda and the monarchy.”

He added that “it is a final step to complete the circle of independence to become a truly sovereign nation.”

The Caribbean country is one of 14 states to retain a British monarch as head of state, with Browne signing a document confirming Charles’ status as the new King for now.

Some context: King Charles III will now become head of the Commonwealth, although that is not a hereditary position, after his succession to the role was agreed by Commonwealth leaders at a meeting in London in 2018.

King Charles III arrived at Buckingham Palace on Sunday afternoon, after major cities across the UK held public proclamations announcing his accession to the British throne.

Royal fans waved Union Jack flags to greet the King, who returned to the famous London residence at around 1:00 p.m. local time (8:00 a.m. ET).

He is expected to hold audiences at Buckingham Palace with religious and Commonwealth leaders, according to a palace statement.

The King is due to receive the secretary-general of the Commonwealth and the Dean of Windsor, Buckingham Palace said. He will also attend a reception with realm high commissioners.

Earlier today, public proclamations to King Charles III took place in the cities of Edinburgh, in Scotland, Belfast, in Northern Ireland and Cardiff, in Wales.

The public proclamations are traditional ceremonies announcing the accession of the new monarch.

Charles was formally confirmed as the new King of the United Kingdom during a ceremony at St. James’s Palace on Saturday.

CNN’s Chris Liakos, Jennifer Deaton and David Wilkinson contributed reporting.

The death of Queen Elizabeth II has set into motion an intricate period of mourning which will culminate with a huge state funeral on September 19 honoring her lifetime of devotion and steadfast service.

Codenamed “Operation London Bridge,” arrangements for Britain’s longest-serving monarch have been carefully poured over for years by the many agencies involved, with the Queen herself signing off on every single detail before her death. However, details were kept under wraps until the sitting sovereign, King Charles III, gave it all his final seal of approval.

The Queen will ultimately be laid to rest within St George’s Chapel, in the grounds of Windsor Castle, alongside her “strength and stay” of 73 years, Prince Philip. Here, we’ve put together a day-by-day guide on what will happen from now until the state funeral.

Read the full story:

Related article Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral: What to expect

Pakistan will observe a day of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II on Monday, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif announced on Sunday.

In a statement released by the prime minister’s office, it was announced that the national flag will fly at half-mast across Pakistan on Monday in memory of Queen Elizabeth II.

Pakistan is a member of the Commonwealth, which the Queen was head of during her 70-year reign.

Some context: The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 independent and equal countries that work together to pursue common goals which promote development, democracy and peace, according to the association. 

Its roots go back to the British Empire but any country can join the modern Commonwealth.

King Charles III will now become head of the Commonwealth, although that is not a hereditary position, after his succession to the role was agreed by Commonwealth leaders at a meeting in London in 2018.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent a message to King Charles III congratulating him on his accession to the British throne, state news agency Xinhua reported on Sunday.

Charles was formally confirmed as the new King of the United Kingdom in a ceremony steeped in tradition and pageantry at St. James’s Palace on Saturday.

Xi said on Saturday that he is ready to work with King Charles III to enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the two nations, while also strengthening communication on global issues, Xinhua reported.

The Chinese President also pointed out that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries at the ambassadorial level, Xinhua news agency reported.

Public proclamations to King Charles III were held in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on Sunday.

The public proclamations are traditional ceremonies announcing the accession of the new monarch.

The ceremonies took place in the cities of Edinburgh, in Scotland, Belfast, in Northern Ireland and Cardiff, in Wales, at 12 p.m. (7 a.m. ET).

In recognition of the new Sovereign, flags will be flown at full-mast from the time of the principal proclamation at St James’s Palace, until one hour after the proclamations in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, after which flags will return to half-mast in mourning for the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Charles was formally confirmed as the new King of the United Kingdom during a ceremony at St. James’s Palace on Saturday.

The Queen’s coffin has departed Balmoral Castle en route to Edinburgh, Scotland.

See photos from this morning’s developments below.

When Scots went to the polls to vote for independence from the United Kingdom in September 2014, the role of the Queen came under scrutiny.

At the time, the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), Alex Salmond, pledged that if voters backed exiting from the 300-plus year Union, Elizabeth II would remain “Queen of Scots.”

Polling at the time suggested Salmond accurately gauged the popular mood on the Queen – 52% wanted to keep her. The question was moot, however, as Salmond famously miscalculated Scotland’s mood on independence, which was voted down 55% to 45%.

Of the many lessons of IndyRef 2014 in Scotland, one solid takeaway was that the Queen was not directly part of the problem.

In Northern Ireland, however, during much of her reign the opposite was true.

The 30 bloody years of violence known as “The Troubles” pitted UK unionists against Irish nationalists, with the British Crown emblematic of much that divided the province.

Unionists are loyal to the Crown and the traditional British values they believe it enshrines. For Irish nationalists, it is the symbol of the British forces who subjugated their ancestors and annexed their land.

Charles’ favorite great-uncle, Lord Louis Mountbatten, the last British Viceroy to India, was murdered by the Irish Republicans along with several of his grandchildren. The message to the monarch was unmistakable: Her bloodline were legitimate targets.

Her public reply came many years later, on a 2012 visit to Northern Ireland that followed the relative peace brought by the Good Friday Agreement, when she shook the hand of one of the republicans most associated with the groups behind the violence of the past, Martin McGuinness.

That government officials recommended she take McGuinness’s hand speaks to her power on all things Union. She is not the Union, but a symbol of it. McGuinness’s Irish nationalist republicans had reluctantly ended their “armed struggle” and remain, for now, inside the Union.

So, to think Queen Elizabeth has little relevance to today’s Union would be to misread her reign.

She was a unifying force, wielding her soft power delicately and discreetly with the singular aim of keeping together the Union and the vestiges of the Empire, the Commonwealth.

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CARDIFF, WALES - OCTOBER 14: Queen Elizabeth II attends the opening ceremony of the sixth session of the Senedd at The Senedd on October 14, 2021 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Related article How the Queen's soft power has helped keep the United Kingdom together

The procession accompanying the Queen’s coffin has passed through several Scottish villages on the way to Edinburgh.

At 10 a.m. local time (5 a.m. ET) the coffin left Balmoral for a six-hour journey through Scotland to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, the official Scottish residence of the British royal family.

Earlier this morning, it traveled through the villages of Ballater, Aboyne and Banchory.

On its way to Edinburgh, the coffin will go through the cities of Aberdeen and Dundee.

The wreath lying on top of Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin is made up of flowers gathered from Balmoral Castle, the monarch’s Scottish countryside estate, according to Buckingham Palace.

It is made of sweet peas – one of the Queen’s favorite flowers – dahlias, phlox, white heather and pine fir.

The wreath matches what Queen Elizabeth II wanted.

King Charles III is expected to hold audiences in Buckingham Palace on Sunday afternoon with religious and Commonwealth leaders, according to a palace statement. 

The King is expected to receive the secretary-general of the Commonwealth and the Dean of Windsor, Buckingham Palace said. He will also attend a reception with realm high commissioners.

On Saturday, Charles pledged the rest of his life to the monarchy after he was formally confirmed as the new King of the United Kingdom during a ceremony at St. James’s Palace.

The Queen’s coffin is currently en route to Edinburgh, where it will lie in rest and allow the Scottish public to pay their respects until Tuesday evening.

It is due to arrive in the Scottish capital around 4 p.m. (11 a.m ET). Its first destination is the Palace of Holyroodhouse where it will be greeted with an honor guard made up of the Royal Regiment of Scotland who will perform a royal salute in the forecourt.

The coffin will be transferred by a military bearer party made up of the same unit to the palace’s Throne Room.

Similarly to how the coffin was placed in the ballroom at Balmoral, it rests in the Throne Room to allow the household staff to pay their final respects to the late monarch.

On Tuesday, it will proceed down the Royal Mile to St Giles’ Cathedral for a service of prayer and reflection attended by the King and Queen Consort and royal family members, as well as a congregation made up “from all areas of Scottish society,” according to a senior palace official.

Afterward, the coffin will rest there for 24 hours to allow the Scottish public to see it, in a tradition known as lying in state.

The Queen’s cortege is now passing through the village of Ballater in Scotland, as hundreds of people lined a street to pay their respects.

A cortege of seven vehicles is accompanying her coffin on its journey to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, in Edinburgh. 

As the Queen’s coffin is driven to Edinburgh, thousands of people are expected to line the route that the royal cortege will journey along, through the Scottish countryside and the cities of Aberdeen and Dundee.

Buckingham Palace said the hearse will make its way to the Scottish capital “in a manner that will allow people to witness the move to the Palace of Holyroodhouse.”

The coffin – which is draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland and a wreath of flowers – is being accompanied by the Earl of Dalhousie and the Minister of Crathie Kirk, which is where the royal family worship when they are in residence at Balmoral.

The oak coffin of Queen Elizabeth II has left Balmoral and begun a six-hour journey by road to Edinburgh – the start of her final journey to London for her state funeral on September 19.

The first Scottish village the royal cortege will pass through is Ballater.

Proclamation ceremonies took place in Australia and New Zealand on Sunday.

Australia formally installed King Charles III as the country’s head of state, with the country’s Governor-General David Hurley making the proclamation in the nation’s parliament in Canberra. A series of proclamation ceremonies will also take place across state parliaments in the country on Sunday.

A national day of remembrance will be held on September 22, after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has returned from Britain, where he will attend the Queen’s funeral. A memorial service will also be held on that day, which has been declared a one-off public holiday.

As head of state, Queen Elizabeth II visited Australia 16 times.

Meanwhile in New Zealand, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Governor-General Cindy Kiro attended a televised ceremony held outside the Parliament.

Ardern said Queen Elizabeth served people of New Zealand for 70 years with unwavering duty.

“King Charles has long had an affection for Aotearoa New Zealand and has consistently demonstrated his deep care for our nation. This relationship is deeply valued by our people,” Ardern said adding, “and so as one chapter closes, another begins.”

Read more here.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will attend Queen Elizabeth’s funeral at London’s Westminster Abbey on September 19, according to presidential senior press secretary Kim Eun-hye.

The Queen’s state funeral is set to take place on Monday, September 19 at Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace announced yesterday.

Sunday will see the first stage of the Queen’s final journey as her coffin leaves Balmoral Castle, where she died peacefully on Thursday, and travels to the Scottish capital Edinburgh.

Following the Queen’s death, her oak coffin – draped with the Royal Standard for Scotland and a wreath of flowers – has sat in the ballroom at the late monarch’s country estate, where staff have had the chance to pay their last respects.

At 10 a.m. (5 a.m. ET), gamekeepers will carry the coffin to a waiting hearse so the beloved monarch’s coffin can begin its six-hour journey to Edinburgh and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland.

The trip by road ordinarily takes around three hours, however, it will be driven slowly so as to allow people to witness the hearse along the route and bow their heads as it passes.

An honor guard made up of the Royal Regiment of Scotland will greet the arriving hearse in Edinburgh this afternoon with a royal salute before it is transferred to the Throne Room by a military bearer party.