King Charles III, Prince Anne, and Princes Andrew and Edward escorted the coffin of Britain’s longest-serving monarch Queen Elizabeth II on Monday from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St. Giles Cathedral. Her royal children also held a service of remembrance upon their arrival at the church, according to the BBC. The queen’s coffin will stay in the cathedral until Tuesday.
Approximately 20,000 gathered to pay their respects to the late monarch as the hearse made the one-mile journey. The husband of Princess Anne, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, was also in attendance while Queen Consort Camilla, and Prince Edward’s wife, the Countess of Wessex, rode in a car behind the king.
The crowd was reportedly silent as the procession moved closer to St. Giles, with onlookers attempting to capture pictures and pay their last respects. The hearse was guarded by the Scottish Royal military.
St. Giles Cathedral is located in Edinburgh, Scotland. The parish church was first built during the medieval period in the 14th century and is a part of the Church of Scotland. Queen Elizabeth II passed away further north of town at her Balmoral Castle last week at the age of 96.
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Tens of thousands of visitors are expected at St. Giles to pay their final respect to the queen. The scheduled time frame for public visitation of the coffin is 5:30 pm on Monday, September 12, until 3 pm on Tuesday, September 13, according to The Herald.
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Visitors will have to undergo mandatory security screenings and stand in queues to receive a wristband that allows them into the cathedral. During normal hours of operation, the church is open to the public for worship on all days of the week. Monday through Friday, it is open from 10 am to 6 pm and on Saturday from 9 am to 5:00 pm, while on Sunday, doors open from 1:00 pm until 5:00 pm.
Couples can get married at St. Giles during regular business operations but must schedule them directly with the church and join their waitlist.
The queen will lie at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh so that the people of Scotland may pay their respects to the monarch after more than 70 years of service. After being transported from Edinburgh, her coffin will then arrive to London. For approximately four days it will lie in state at the Palace of Westminster until her funeral on Monday, September 19th.
