Edinburgh (R.United), Sep 11 (EFE).- The mortal remains of Elizabeth II lie this Sunday in the Throne Room of the royal residence of Holyroodhouse, in Edinburgh, after receiving the homage of thousands of people who came out to the street at the passage of the funeral procession that took them from Balmoral Castle to the Scottish capital.
From Balmoral, where the queen died on Thursday at the age of 96, the funeral procession began the journey of about 200 kilometers this morning to reach the capital of Scotland, after passing through towns and villages, including Ballater, Aberdeen and Dundee.
Along this route, thousands of people stood on both sides of the roads to applaud and take pictures of the coffin, draped with the royal banner of Scotland and a wreath of flowers, specially collected from Balmoral Gardens.
PRINCESS ANNE IN THE FUNERAL CORTAGE
Behind the hearse was the royal limousine with Elizabeth II’s daughter, Princess Anne, and her husband, Tim Laurence, while at Holyroodhouse there were two sons of the sovereign, Princes Andrew and Edward.
On the Royal Mile avenue, in the historic center of Edinburgh, which links the city’s castle with the royal palace, thousands of citizens stood on both sides of the barriers set up by the Police to applaud in an atmosphere of recollection.
Once inside the imposing courtyard of Holyroodhouse, the coffin was received by the Royal Regiment of Scotland, with their green tartan skirts, to take it to the Throne room, where it will remain overnight until tomorrow afternoon.
After the coffin entered the palace, the Royal Regiment of Scotland and members of the Royal Guard filed silently into the courtyard before leaving the grounds.
PROCLAMATION OF CHARLES AS KING IN SCOTLAND
Waiting this morning for the arrival of the coffin at Holyroodhouse, Carlos III was proclaimed king here in a colorful ceremony that took place in front of the monument known as the Cruz del Mercadillo, near St. Giles Cathedral, after his official proclamation on Saturday in London.
The so-called King of Arms Lord Lyon, royal postman, read the proclamation from the pulpit of this monument.
After the act, the royal postman, with his formal attire, shouted to the crowd gathered there: “God save the King”, to which the people responded with the same phrase.
The public then sang the national anthem, accompanied by music from a royal band, and the Lord Lyon called for three cheers for the new British monarch by saying “Hip, hip”, to which the crowd responded with a “Hurrah!”
The proclamation was followed by the firing of 21 cannon salvos from nearby Edinburgh Castle.
RELIGIOUS SERVICE IN EDINBURGH
This Monday afternoon, the funeral procession will leave Holyroodhouse to St Giles Cathedral, where there will be a religious service attended by members of the royal family, including King Charles III and Queen Consort, Camilla.
The coffin will remain for about 24 hours in the cathedral where the burning chapel will be located, which will allow the population to pay tribute to it.
On Tuesday, the mortal remains will be taken to the British capital in a Royal Air Force (RAF) plane for the state funeral that will take place on the 19th in Westminster Abbey, next to the British Parliament.
Near Holyroodhouse, a British man, Peter, told Efe that the country had not seen something like this in many years, but that “in reality it is a family that has lost a grandmother, a mother.”
“I’m 45 years old and I haven’t met another monarch. It’s sad for many people. I don’t think there will be any changes with Carlos III, the anthem will be different, with a different currency, but nothing will change,” he added.
Another citizen, named Annetta, told Efe that she hopes “King Carlos III can follow these same steps,” although she believes “it will be different.”
Viviana Garcia