Queen Elizabeth II
Miles of lines in front of the coffin
Thousands of people want to say goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II in Edinburgh, Scotland.
© imago/i Images
Thousands of people line up for miles outside Edinburgh Cathedral to bid farewell to Queen Elizabeth II.
Mourners from across Scotland and the UK are already queuing for miles at night to say goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022). They want to pay their last respects to the closed coffin that was laid out in St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh. As “Mail Online” further reportsdozens had even made the journey from London, believing it would be easier to see the Queen in Scotland as 30-hour queues were predicted in the English capital.
“I was surprised how much the news hit me”
A mourner from London told the British newspaper that she made the nearly 1,300km round trip because she felt “strange” without Her Majesty. The sight of the coffin is “surreal” and “one of the most emotional moments of my life”.
A man who joined his stepdaughter at the back of the queue at 2:30 a.m. explained: “We wanted to say goodbye to the boss. I’m in the military, I work on the submarines. I was surprised by how much The news hit me. I didn’t know her personally, but I met her as a child. It moved me a lot, it was quite a shock.”
A couple who queued just after 3am said: “We tried to queue overnight to avoid the crowds – to no avail”.
Thousands of people flocked to the coffin on Monday evening as the new King Charles III. (73) and his three siblings stood with bowed heads in silent devotion on the four sides of Her Majesty’s oaken coffin (“Vigil of the Princes” ceremony).
In the evening the coffin is flown to London
The Queen, who died on Thursday (8/9) at her Scottish country home, Balmoral Castle, is staying in the Scottish capital until the coffin is flown to London from Edinburgh Airport at 6pm on Tuesday evening. The funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey on Monday 19 September.