The Queen’s coffin was welcomed to the streets of Edinburgh with a quiet round of applause as the cortege made its way down the iconic Royal Mile.
Tens of thousands of people packed the pavements throughout the capital as they eagerly awaited the arrival of Her Majesty’s coffin on Sunday.
Some members of the public were spotted sitting on deck chairs as early as 10am in a bid to secure a coveted front row space to say their final goodbyes to the monarch.
While thousands of others flocked to the Palace of Holyroodhouse where they added bouquets of flowers, soft toys and children's drawings to the sea of tributes already left at the scene.
A ring of steel was thrown up around the city centre with uniformed officers lining the route alongside a large number of security stewards.
Police snipers were also stationed on several surrounding buildings as part of the mammoth security operation which brought the city to a standstill.
One woman, who had stood for around three hours, broke down in tears after the Queen was driven past St Giles’ Cathedral shortly before 4.30pm.
Fiona Kennedy, 61, and her husband Garry, 53, from Glasgow, were on holiday in Spain when they heard the tragic news of the Queen’s death.
Fighting back tears, she said: “She’s just always been there. It was very emotional seeing her today. It reminds me of my own mother. I felt sorry for Princess Anne, she had to follow her for six hours all the way down the road. It’s hard enough when it is your own mother without having to follow her for however long.
“It was a very simple coffin with a very simple floral tribute which I thought was lovely for her because when she came to Scotland, that’s what she liked to do. To leave her crown and become a more simple person. It was lovely to see.”
Husband Gary added: “She’s like your grannie. Everybody says that but it’s true.”
Bruce and Rexie Fraser, from Northumberland, made the 100 mile journey from their home in Northumberland to say their final goodbyes.
Rexie, 56, said: “I admire very much what the Queen has done and I think of her as a huge role model for women. The dedication, the grace and the service she’s done over the last 70 years.
"That’s a lot for one person to have achieved. I think of her very much as a person in herself - a role model for all women. She balanced family life, working life, state life and raised her kids while supporting her grandsons. I think she’s very much to be admired. I didn’t quite realise how emotional I would be here today. I just wanted to come and be part of this to say my own private goodbyes.”
Bruce, 62, added: “When we were driving up from Northumberland, people are coming in from all angles. It’s a day we were expecting but you never know when it’s going to come. At least she didn’t suffer in the end, we don’t think.”
Ula Golaszewska, 17, from Glasgow, added: “We came to say thank you to the Queen for everything she’s done for our country. She’s amazing and we’re going to miss her all so much. We’ve come to say our final goodbye to her.
“It’s beautiful here. There’s so many flowers and pictures. It’s really emotional.”
Kylie Stevenson, a door supervisor from Glasgow, has a long history with the Royal Family after meeting Princess Anne, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan over the years.
The 29-year-old explained: “I’ve worked in security for a very long time, almost ten or 11 years. I do a lot of events, especially rugby at Murrayfield where I’ve met Princess Anne. I also worked in Windsor in 2018 for the royal wedding when I got to see Harry and Meghan pass by.
“I was on a break at that point so I managed to get a lot of pictures and videos. Now, it’s a privilege to be here today especially for Her Majesty the Queen.
"It’s a part of history and it’ll be good to see her pass by while doing my job which is helping the public with the road closures. It’s very busy and I believe it will be for the next few days.”
Four-year-old Fainn and mum Cathie Hart, who travelled up from the Scottish Borders, to lay flowers near the Palace of Holyroodhouse, told how the Queen had played a special role in their lives.
The mum explained: “We just felt that we needed to be part of history. Fainn saw people laying flowers at all the palaces and said he wanted to lay some for the Queen because it was his birthday on the jubilee and he thought the queen had thrown him a party.
"So we just felt it’s being part of history and it’s such a momentous thing that we decided to rock up on the train.”
Gary Lewis and wife Cathleen, both 59, from Newcastle, said: “Edinburgh is so close to us - only 100 miles down the road so we thought we’d come up because London was a bit far to travel. It was a lovely drive and it’s a beautiful place.
"The Queen’s 70 year service is amazing really and our daughter’s armed forces and our son-in-law are in the armed forces so she means a lot to us.”
Cathleen added: “The smell from all the flowers is just amazing. It’s quite emotional reading some of the messages. A lovely thing to see.”
Debra Catcheside, 57, from Tyne and-Wear, added: “We came up to pay our respects to the Queen. I think she’s absolutely brilliant and we’re going to miss her. All the tributes are just so amazing. They just bring tears. Going to miss her so much. She was the way that I want to be and she’s a really amazing person. I wish everybody was a bit more like her with the respect and everything she had for other people.”
The Queen’s body will be taken to St Giles’ Cathedral today in a procession which will be attended by King Charles and other members of the Royal Family.
Her Majesty’s coffin will then lie at rest at the cathedral, guarded by vigils from The Royal Company of Archers, to allow the people of Scotland to pay their respects.
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