Behind the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, which slowly marched through Edinburgh, King Charles III walked with his heads down along with his two brothers and sister on Monday, and tens of thousands of Britons joined in the popular farewell to the late queen.
In a new leg of the Queen’s last journey, which began at Balmoral Palace where she died on Thursday and will end with a national funeral next Monday in London, her coffin has been moved from Holyrood House, the official royal residence in Scotland, to St. Giles. Cathedral, where he was first buried in front of the townspeople.
The funeral procession, led by King Charles III, surrounded by his brothers Andrew and Edward and sister Anne, crossed the center of the Scottish capital in slow and deafening silence.
They walked at a slow pace more than a kilometer deep into the old city, all dressed in black military uniforms, except for Prince Andrew, who was expelled from the monarchy after allegations of sexual harassment that ended in the payment of millions of dollars.
After a religious ceremony in the afternoon, the Queen’s children returned in the evening to take part in the nightly funeral ceremonies around the body, which was encased in a coffin wrapped in the royal Scottish flag, on which was placed the Scottish crown of solid gold. , except for wreaths of white flowers.
They stopped near the coffin for about ten minutes before leaving the cathedral to thunderous applause.
Four days after the death of Elizabeth II and a week before her funeral, sadness still reigns in the United Kingdom, and the number of people wishing to accompany the queen on her last trip seems overwhelming.
Police told AFP that 30,000 bracelets were handed out to be worn to enter the cathedral. An AFP journalist reported that the line stretched for more than 1.5 km.
The oak coffin can now be seen by citizens from a distance of several meters and beyond the security cordon, but they placed it on a high platform guarded by dozens of policemen.
In front of the coffin, people crossed themselves, others bowed, and some wept.
The queen, who has been a symbol of stability through decades of upheaval and unrest, is hugely popular.
“I’ll stay as long as it takes,” Sam Wheaton, a Scot who stood in a long line waiting to see the coffin, told AFP. For him, the queen is “part of history.”
Laurent Logan, 60, was among the people who came to watch the funeral procession as it walked down the road. She confirmed that she had arrived early in the morning with her folding seat to reserve a seat in the second row. She said the atmosphere was “sadder than I thought”.
For his part, the new king has gradually stepped into office, taking on the difficult task of succeeding his once-popular mother amid social crisis and divisions in the United Kingdom, as well as protests against the colonial past in 14 countries where he is considered head of state.
Charles III holds this position and is the oldest British monarch at the time of ascension to the throne (73 years).
On Monday afternoon, King Charles III went to the Scottish Parliament to accept condolences.
Monday marks the start of a tour that will take him through the four provinces of the United Kingdom, and he kicked off Monday morning at the British Parliament in London.
“Standing before you today, I cannot help but feel the weight of history that surrounds us and reminds us of the vital parliamentary traditions to which the members of both chambers devote themselves,” the king said in a brief speech.
He emphasized that his mother was “an example of devotion, which I am determined to faithfully follow, with God’s help and on your advice.”
Throughout her 70-year reign, Elizabeth II remained a neutral head of state, fulfilling her constitutional duties without expressing her opinion a day, from the opening of parliamentary sessions to the passage of laws to the approval of appointments, including the appointment of a woman prime minister in the fifteenth times during his tenure, two days before his death, over 96 years old.
Prince Harry, who left the royal family after moving in with his wife Megan Merkel in California, issued a statement in honor of the Queen, calling her a “compass” and thanking her for her sense of duty and her “infectious smile.” . “We miss you so much,” he told his grandmother.
The body will be flown on Tuesday evening from Edinburgh Airport on the royal plane to London.
The coffin will be draped in the royal flag around the clock on the platform of the Palace of Westminster from Wednesday evening for five days.
Long lines stretching eight kilometers are expected, with 750,000 people expected to come to say goodbye to the Queen for the last time, according to The Times.
The Queen’s body will remain in Parliament until the national funeral. The funeral is expected to be attended by world figures, including US President Joe Biden and Frenchman Emmanuel Macron, as well as many members of the royal families.
And the British Prime Minister announced that on the eve of the Sunday of Mourning, citizens will be invited to observe a minute of silence at 8 pm (19:00 GMT) in a “moment of reflection” in memory of the queen, who ascended the British throne for the longest period in the history of the United Kingdoms.
