The Queen’s coffin has left Balmoral to begin its journey to Edinburgh. Draped with the Royal Standard of Scotland and with a wreath of flowers on top, it had remained at rest in the Balmoral ballroom so the late monarch’s loyal Balmoral estate workers could say their last goodbyes.
A small gathering of well-wishers stood in silence as they lined the end of the route out of Balmoral to watch while the Queen’s coffin passed by.
The gentle rush of the flowing water through the River Dee could be heard as the cortege moved over the bridge.
The exit from the gates had been closed to members of the public in the hour before the coffin emerged.
The sun shone on what was a calm and still morning in an area that had been one of the Queen’s most beloved retreats.
The Princess Royal, her husband Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the minister of Crathie Kirk and a representative of the Lord chamberlain’s Office are in the convoy following the Queen’s coffin.
The wreath on the coffin is made up of flowers from the Balmoral estate including sweet peas – one of the Queen’s favourite flowers – dahlias, phlox, white heather and pine fir.
There was impeccable silence as the funeral procession passed through Ballater.
Well-wishers who had waited patiently for the opportunity to pay their respects bowed their heads while others saluted as the hearse drove slowly by.
Afterwards, Margaret MacKenzie, from Inverness, said: “It was very dignified. It was nice to see that a lot of people came out to support and pay their respects.”
Guest house manager Victoria Pacheco said: “She meant such a lot to people in this area. People were crying, it was amazing to see.”
She said guests were overcome when news broke of the Queen’s death last week.
Elizabeth Taylor, from Aberdeen, had tears in her eyes as she considered what she had just seen.
She said: “It was very emotional. It was respectful and showed what they think of the Queen.
“She certainly gave service to this country even up until a few days before her death.”
The oak coffin was lifted into a hearse on Sunday at 10am by six of the estate’s gamekeepers, who had been tasked with the symbolic gesture, ready for a six-hour journey to Edinburgh.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the “poignant” journey, which will see the Queen’s coffin transported to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, would give the public a chance to come together to “mark our country’s shared loss”.
On Saturday, the royal family received the condolences of well-wishers when they viewed floral tributes left in memory of the late Queen at her homes of Balmoral and Windsor Castle. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Prince and Princess of Wales were united in grief when they went on a walkabout meeting the public close to the Berkshire castle.
Earlier that day, King Charles III had been formally confirmed as the nation’s new monarch during a meeting of the Accession Council.
Well-wishers are expected to gather along the route the cortege will take as it travels from Balmoral to the Scottish capital – which is expected to take about six hours. It will first head to the nearby town of Ballater, where it is expected at approximately 10.12am.
About an hour later it will arrive in Aberdeen, with tributes expected to be paid in the city’s Duthie Park. Travelling south along the A90, it will then arrive in Dundee at about 2pm.
In Edinburgh, Ms Sturgeon and other party leaders in Scotland are expected to observe the coffin as it goes past the Scottish Parliament. From there it will be taken into the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where it will remain for the night.
Transport bosses said an “unprecedented” amount of preparation and planning had gone into drawing up the route. In London, Charles will meet Baroness Scotland, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, at Buckingham Palace, and he will later host High Commissioners and their spouses, from countries where he is head of state, at the royal residence’s Bow Room.
