A solemn procession. All four of Queen Elizabeth II‘s children united to walk behind her coffin as it arrived at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland.
King Charles III, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward formed a line behind the hearse carrying their late mother during the Monday, September 12, procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to the cathedral, where a service will be held.
Later on Monday, the new king, 73, and other members of the royal family will mount a vigil of the coffin. Following the service, the coffin will remain at the cathedral until Tuesday, September 13, when it will be flown back to London.
When her mother’s coffin arrived at the Palace of Holyroodhouse on Sunday, September 11, the Princess Royal, 72, was photographed curtsying to the casket. The formal greeting, customary for royals seeing the sovereign for the first time on a given day, is considered a sign of respect and reverence.
The queen died at age 96 on Thursday, September 8, at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Buckingham Palace announced the news hours after revealing that the monarch had been placed under medical supervision.
After her passing, her eldest son, Charles, immediately became king, though his coronation will likely not take place for some time. The former Prince of Wales was officially proclaimed the new sovereign during a ceremony held at St James’s Palace on Saturday, September 10.
“It is my most sorrowful duty to announce you to the death of my beloved mother, the queen,” Charles said while addressing the accession council. “I know how deeply you, the entire nation — and I think I may say the whole world — sympathize with me in the irreparable loss we have all suffered. It is the greatest consolation to me to know of the sympathy expressed by so many to my sister and my brothers and that such overwhelming affection and support should be extended to our whole family in our loss.”
The new monarch’s wife, Queen Consort Camilla, and his eldest son, Prince William, were also present for the accession council’s proclamation. After the queen’s passing, an insider exclusively told Us Weekly that the former Duchess of Cornwall, 75, has been her husband’s rock over the past several days.
“King Charles calls Camilla his ‘tower of strength,’” the source explained. “[He] says she makes him a better man. This is obviously a challenging time for him as he transitions into a new era without his beloved mother and he’s incredibly emotional.”
Keep scrolling for more photos of the queen’s children participating in the Edinburgh procession.
