Queen's coffin seen for the first time as it leaves Balmoral

The Queen’s coffin has been seen for the first time as it begins its slow journey from Balmoral to Edinburgh.

Draped with the Royal Standard of Scotland and featuring a wreath of flowers on top, the oak coffin is travelling from the royal castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

As the hearse left the Balmoral estate, members of the public lined the road and stood silent to pay their respects and one mourner threw flowers at the vehicle, as police officers bowed their heads.

The gentle rush of flowing water through the River Dee could be heard as the seven-car cortege crossed a bridge, as well-wishers gathered at the end of the route out of Balmoral.

The Queen’s daughter, Princess Anne, travelled behind the hearse.

The cortege, with a police escort, slowly made its way towards the Scottish capital, as people turned out to see it pass, including in Ballater.

Crowds three or four deep watched as the cortege drove through the village, including past the local church.

Ballater is the village closest to the Balmoral estate, where many locals considered the royal as a neighbour.

Following the Queen’s death on Thursday, the coffin had remained at rest in the Balmoral ballroom to give estate workers there the chance to say goodbye for the last time.

Kate reveals Louis’s touching words about his great-grandmother – live updates

Six of the estate’s gamekeepers lifted the coffin into a hearse at 10am, marking the start of the cortege’s six-hour journey to Edinburgh.

The wreath sat atop the coffin is made from some of her favourite flowers picked from the garden of Balmoral.

Sky News understands these include phlox, dahlias, sweet pea, limonium, white heather, and pine fur.

Nicola Sturgeon, the country’s first minister, said the “poignant” journey would give people in Scotland the chance to come together to “mark our country’s shared loss”.

Today’s road journey will:

• Make its way through Aboyne, Banchory, Peterculter
• Arrive in Aberdeen at around 11.20am, moving through the city’s suburbs
• Move through Porthleven, Stonehaven before heading inland
• Head through the Angus countryside and past Brechin
• Arrive in Dundee at around 2.15pm, where it will go around the city on the Kingsway
• Head towards Perth, across the Friarton Bridge and down the M90
• Go over the Queensferry Crossing towards Edinburgh
• Enter Edinburgh from the west, skirting by Edinburgh Castle
• Travel down the full length of the Royal Mile to the Palace of Holyroodhouse by about 4pm

An “unprecedented” amount of preparation has gone into planning the route, planning bosses said.

Ms Sturgeon and other party leaders in Scotland are expected to observe the coffin as it makes its way past the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.

After arriving at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, it will be moved to St Giles’ Cathedral where it will lie for 24 hours so the public can pay their respects.

More on the Queen:
What happens between now and the Queen’s funeral?
How the Queen adapted to Scotland’s shifting politics
The secrets behind some of the Queen’s most famous photos

Public viewing of the coffin begins at 5pm on Monday but people have been warned of long waits, and photography and recording is strictly prohibited.

Princess Anne will fly to London with her mother’s body on Tuesday.

The events in Scotland are the first meticulously planned steps leading to the funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday 19 September – a day that will be a bank holiday.

Read Entire Article