It had remained at rest in the Balmoral ballroom, draped with the Royal Standard of Scotland and topped with a flower wreath, so that the late monarch’s loyal Balmoral estate workers could say their final goodbyes. Six of the estate’s gamekeepers were tasked with lifting the oak coffin into a hearse on Sunday at 10 a.m., ready for a six-hour journey to Edinburgh. The “poignant” journey, which will see the Queen’s coffin transported to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, will allow the public to come together to “mark our country’s shared loss,” according to Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. The royal family received well-wishers’ condolences on Saturday as they viewed floral tributes left in memory of the late Queen at her homes of Balmoral and Windsor Castle. When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Prince and Princess of Wales went on a walkabout near Berkshire castle, they were united in their grief. King Charles III had been formally confirmed as the nation’s new monarch earlier that day during a meeting of the Accession Council. Well-wishers are expected to gather along the route the cortege will take from Balmoral to the Scottish capital, which is expected to take approximately six hours. It will first travel to Ballater, a nearby town. It will arrive in Aberdeen about an hour later, with tributes expected in the city’s Duthie Park. According to the local minister, there will be “overwhelming emotion” when the Queen’s coffin passes through the Aberdeenshire village of Ballater, where many locals knew her. According to Reverend David Barr, locals regard the Windsors as “like neighbours,” especially since the Queen has been visiting Balmoral Castle since she was a child and people in the area have long-standing relationships with the estate. “When she comes up here and goes through those gates, I believe the royal part of her stays mostly outside,” he explained. And as she progressed, she was able to be a wife, a loving wife, a loving mother, a loving grandmother, and later, a loving great grandmother – and aunty – all while remaining normal.”
