Seeing the Queen’s coffin is a momentous occasion, and for a former soldier, it was worth getting up early to be the first person in line to do so.

George Higgins was the first person to start queuing down The Meadows in Edinburgh – around a 15-minute walk away from St Giles’ Cathedral – at around 6:45am on Monday.

Inside the historic building is where the Queen’s coffin is lying at rest, with the public able to view it from 5:30pm on Monday until 3pm on Tuesday.

Official guidance had originally said the cathedral would be open to mourners for 24 hours from 5pm, but a briefing given to Scottish Government staff, and seen by Sky News, contained the amended times.

At one point, the impressively-large queue stretched all the way down George IV Bridge and bent round onto Chambers Street.

Mr Higgins, 62, turned up after working a night shift at the Royal Infirmary to bag his spot in the queue – but was forced to wait 12 hours before going inside.

Despite the long wait, he said he was “prepared to wait even longer” if he had too, and it was an experience he “will never forget”.

Before entering the cathedral, he said: “We get the privilege to be able to do this in Scotland, where if she had passed in England we wouldn’t have. Me coming from Edinburgh, my home city, and she’s lying in St Giles’, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.

“I have to go and pay my respects to my old boss.”

After visiting the monarch’s coffin and seeing the Crown of Scotland, which had been placed on top, he recalled the “moving scene” inside the cathedral, where it was so quiet “you couldn’t even hear anyone breathing”.

“It was absolutely amazing… you could have heard a pin drop. It was a really calming feeling.

“I’m glad I did it, and I would do it all over again. It was a poignant day, and I’ll never forget it.”

‘I got quite emotional afterwards… it was just overwhelming’

He entered the historic building alongside his friend, Sheila Purvis, who joined him in the queue at around 10am this morning.

The 72-year-old told Sky News that the Queen meant “everything” to her and described two occasions where she had the privilege of meeting her in person

“I got to meet her twice, once at the Ceremony Of The Keys at Holyroodhouse, and when I was presented to her in 2009 because she was giving new colours to the Royal Regiment of Scotland,” she said.

She added: “I noticed her skin looked so soft, it looked lovely. I was thinking, this old lady has the skin of a 21-year-old.”

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After paying her respects, Ms Purvis described only hearing her own footsteps as she walked up the coffin.

“I took a bow, and it was really moving. I stepped back and walked slowly away, but I felt like I could have stayed longer.

“I got quite emotional afterwards, when I was on my own… it was just overwhelming,” she added.

Asked if it was worth the wait, Ms Purvis replied: “Absolutely – would have waited twice as long. The Queen was the most wonderful woman on Earth.”

Mr Higgins added: “What she did for this country, for Great Britain and us, is unfathomable.”

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Wearing his Northern Ireland General Service medal, he First Gulf War medal and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee medal, Mr Higgins recalled parading for the Queen in 1983 as a young soldier.

“I can’t believe I’m actually saying that… it was probably one of the best times of my life and one of my proudest moments,” he said.

Ms Purvis was also wearing medals belonging to her uncle and her own Silver Jubilee medal and Imperial Service medal for her 26 years in the civil service.

In their perfectly pressed uniforms, the pair were among many who had dressed up to see the Queen’s coffin and the procession from Holyroodhouse.

‘Puffed and pregnant’

Travelling from Glasgow, Frayja Macleod wore a long black dress and a short veil for the occasion, but was disappointed when she was unable to get on The Royal Mile to see the procession.

“It was pretty upsetting, I legged it, I was puffed, and pregnant, but they just said nope, no more room for people,” she explained.

“Afterwards, I walked about two hours to get to the end of this queue.”

Asked why she had decided to come to Edinburgh for the occasion, she said: “I thought this is my only opportunity to pay my respects and say thank you for everything.

“I’m quite prepared to stand all day and all night if I have to for the once in a lifetime opportunity to do that.”

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