Crowds were building opposite St Giles’ Cathedral as the Queen ’s coffin is readied to depart from Edinburgh.
Well-wishers were massing on the Royal Mile ahead of its planned move from the historic building, accompanied by Princess Anne. Many were trying to take up good vantage points opposite the cathedral doors in time for the coffin emerging at 4.30pm.
The crowds aren’t as dense as the numbers seen for yesterday’s procession from Holyrood Palace, but thousands are still expected to say their final goodbye. Under beautiful blue skies and autumn sunshine, more than 100 police officers marched up the Royal Mile at 2.30pm to report to their stations.
Police were readying to enact road closures which will allow the coffin to be transferred by cortege to Edinburgh Airport for the flight to RAF Northolt. Meanwhile the final mourners were allowed to file past the coffin in the cathedral as the Scottish Government announced the lengthy queue was now closed.
Former Scottish rugby international and British Lion Scott Hastings was among the last mourners to be able to pay their respects.
Scott, 57, said: “It was so emotional to be there. I’ll treasure that. I said to my wife Jenny this morning, come on we need to go, and I’m so happy we did so we could pay our respects to a fantastic monarch.
“I had the pleasure of meeting her on a number of occasions. The Royal Family have been such tremendous supporters of Scottish rugby. The Queen always put you totally at ease when you were in her company. Her service was incredible and she was an example of how we can all be more tolerant and respectful as a society.”
Scott said his brother Gavin, 60, a fellow Scottish international and British Lion, filed past the coffin after queuing at 5am on Tuesday. Bethany Walker and her colleague Chris Armstrong, both care workers from Edinburgh, made it just in time to see the coffin.
Bethany, 21, said: “It’s a moment of history and we wanted to be there. You really felt the weight of it when you were inside the cathedral.”
Chris, 27, said: “I had a feeling my kids and grandkids might ask me one day where I was when the Queen was in Edinburgh after she died. It will be nice to be able to say I was there. It was so tranquil and serene inside.”
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