ALEX Salmond’s body has arrived at the church where the family funeral service will be held.
Draped in a Saltire and welcomed by a piper, the former first minister’s coffin was taken into Strichen Parish Church just before midday on Tuesday, October 29.
The service is due to begin at 1pm and will see eulogies from Kenny MacAskill, who was Salmond’s justice secretary in the Scottish government, and SNP MSP Fergus Ewing.
Speaking ahead of the funeral service, Rev Dr Ian McEwan, a friend of the Salmond family who will be conducting it, said it was an “incredibly difficult day”.
McEwan said: “I am a longstanding friend of Alex’s siblings, they are a very tight-knit family and over the decades I got to know Alex at family gatherings like birthdays.
“I conducted his niece’s wedding and took his dad’s funeral.
“These are desperately sad circumstances and anyone who has been through grief will understand that this is an incredibly difficult day for the family.
“There is palpable shock over Alex’s passing and folk can well imagine the distress and sorrow within the family.
“He was the life and soul of the party and played a leading role in his family, and the privacy of the funeral is to give them space to grieve and say farewell to a husband, a brother and an uncle whom they loved dearly.”
The late Alba leader is being laid to rest after his sudden death from a heart attack aged 69 while at a conference in North Macedonia earlier this month.
The service and burial in Strichen will be in private, but a public memorial service is expected to take place in the coming weeks.
Salmond, who was first minister between 2007 and 2014 and was responsible for securing the Scottish independence referendum, was seen off from North Macedonia by a guard of honour.
His death at the age of 69 led to tributes from across the political spectrum, with allies and opponents recognising the significance of his contribution to Scottish and UK politics.
