Queen Elizabeth dies: Queen’s coffin arrives in Scotland’s capital

The final journey of Queen Elizabeth II began Sunday when her coffin was moved from Balmoral Castle and began a six-hour procession to Edinburgh as Scotland prepared to say farewell to its longtime monarch.

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Hundreds of thousands of people were expected to pay tribute to the 96-year-old monarch, who died Thursday after a 70-year reign, the longest in the history of the United Kingdom.

Update 11:27 a.m. EDT Sept. 11: The hearse carrying Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin arrived at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the British monarchy’s residence in Edinburgh, Scotland.

The queen’s coffin was brought to the Throne Room of the palace. Princess Anne and her husband entered the palace as guards carried the coffin into the castle. Prince Andrew and Prince Edward also could be see as the coffin was carried into Holyroodhouse, The New York Times reported.

Update 11:05 a.m. EDT Sept. 11: The procession carrying Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin entered Scotland’s capital of Edinburgh. The cortege crossed the Queensferry Crossing, linking Fife to Edinburgh, according to the BBC.

The queen visited the Forth Road Bridge in 2014 to mark its 50th anniversary and returned three years later to cut the ribbon on its replacement.

Queen Elizabeth II said the Queensferry Crossing, the UK’s tallest bridge, was a “breathtaking sight” and one of three “magnificent structures” across the Forth.

Update 10:02 a.m. EDT: Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin arrived in Dundee, Scotland.

Meanwhile, large crowds were gathering in Edinburgh and hundreds of police officers lined the Royal Mile in anticipation of the arrival of the funeral cortege later Sunday.

The queen’s coffin will stay overnight at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

Original report: Queen Elizabeth II’s oak coffin was carried from Balmoral Castle’s ballroom to a hearse by six gamekeepers at the castle’s estate, where the queen spent her summer vacations, The New York Times reported.

The queen’s coffin will be brought to the Throne Room of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland, according to The Washington Post. The procession’s first stop was in Ballater for a tribute attended by officials, including the queen’s representative in Aberdeenshire, the newspaper reported.

The coffin will be greeted by a guard of honor when it reaches Edinburgh and received with a royal salute before it is carried to the throne room, the Times reported.

Pipes played in the village of Aboyne in Aberdeenshire as the queen’s coffin passed through the city, the BBC reported.

On Monday, members of the royal family are expected to accompany the coffin as it moves along the Royal Mile to nearby St. Giles’ Cathedral.

The coffin will remain at the cathedral “to allow the people of Scotland to pay their respects,” Buckingham Palace said.

On Wednesday at 2:22 p.m., the queen’s coffin will be conveyed by gun carriage in a silent procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall in the Palace of Westminster.

The last member of the royal family to lie in state in the hall was the Queen Mother in 2002, when more than 200,000 people viewed her coffin, the BBC reported.

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Photos: Queen Elizabeth II's coffin leaves Balmoral, arrives in Edinburgh Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, Britain's Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Britain's Princess Anne, Princess Royal, Britain's Sophie, Countess of Wessex, and Britain's Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, watch as the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped with the Royal Standard of Scotland, completes its journey from Balmoral to the Palace of Holyroodhouse on September 11, 2022, in Edinburgh, United Kingdom. (Aaron Chown/WPA Pool/Getty Images)

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Queen Elizabeth II tributes HONG KONG, CHINA - SEPTEMBER 10: A child puts flowers down to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II outside the British Consulate General Hong Kong on September 10, 2022 in Hong Kong, China. Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland aged 96 on September 8, 2022, and is survived by her four children, Charles, Prince of Wales, Anne, Princess Royal, Andrew, Duke Of York and Edward, Duke of Wessex. Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born in Bruton Street, Mayfair, London on 21 April 1926. She married Prince Philip in 1947 and acceded the throne of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth on 6 February 1952 after the death of her Father, King George VI. Queen Elizabeth II was the United Kingdom's longest-serving monarch. (Photo by Sawayasu Tsuji/Getty Images) (Sawayasu Tsuji/Getty Images)

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William, Kate, Harry, Meghan meet Windsor mourners WINDSOR, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 10: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex on the long Walk at Windsor Castle on September 10, 2022 in Windsor, England. Crowds have gathered and tributes left at the gates of Windsor Castle to Queen Elizabeth II, who died at Balmoral Castle on 8 September, 2022. (Photo by Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Getty Images) (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

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