Go well: a final bow to the one they loved

From the moment the draped coffin emerged from the gates of Balmoral, it was clear that the final journey of the Queen would be a journey of love.

People line the street as the hearse carrying the coffin of Britain's Queen Elizabeth passes through the village of Ballater, near Balmoral, Scotland, on Sunday night (AEST). Picture: Reuters

They came from the villages, from the fields, from the pubs to say goodbye.

They lined the winding roads of Scotland in their thousands, holding up signs, wiping back tears, bowing their heads and doing whatever they could in their own small way to say thank you.

From the moment the draped oak coffin emerged from the gates of Balmoral, it was clear that the final journey of the Queen would be a journey of love.

So begins the nine-day farewell for Britain’s longest serving monarch, a goodbye that will traverse the length of her kingdom and give her grieving people a chance to farewell an era, the likes of which we will not see again.

People gather in tribute as the cortege carrying the coffin of the late Queen Elizabeth II passes through Banchory. Picture: Getty Images

The Queen’s last six-hour drive through her beloved Scotland was slow, steady and safe – just like her reign – as she passed by throngs of supporters in Aberdeen, Dundee, Perth and then finally Edinburgh. For the first time in 70 years, there was no royal wave in response.

Her final journey was one that the Queen had travelled many times, because Scotland was her playground and Balmoral was her happy place.

“I think Granny is the most happy there,” her granddaughter Princess Eugenie once said. “I think she really, really loves the Highlands. Walks, picnics, dogs – a lot of dogs, there’s always dogs. And people coming in and out all the time.”

Princess Eugenie was among the members of the royal family, including three of the Queen’s children, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, who read some of the thousands of tributes to the Queen at the gates of Balmoral at the weekend. Some members of the family wiped back tears as they read the cards and letters. Upon her arrival in Edinburgh, the Queen’s coffin was due to lie in the throne room of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen’s official residence in Scotland.

It was another happy place for the Queen, who would spend a week there each year on official business and hold garden parties.

Late on Monday (AEST), the Queen will be transported down Edinburgh’s famous Royal Mile to St Giles Cathedral, where she will lie in state for 24 hours for the public to pay their respect. King Charles, Camilla and other members of the royal family will also travel to Edinburgh for a service in St Giles.

Well-wishers view floral tributes left at the Norwich Gate outside the Sandringham Estate in Sandringham, Norfolk, eastern England, on Sunday. Picture: AFP

It is reported, but not confirmed by the palace, that the children and grandchildren of the Queen will stand over her coffin in a traditional royal “vigil” that night at St Giles cathedral. On Tuesday, the Queen will then be flown to London, accompanied by her daughter, Princess Anne.

The Queen will then travel by car to Buckingham Palace and the following day, Wednesday, she will be carried on a gun carriage down the Mall to Westminster Abbey, where she will lie in state for four days.

Her funeral will take place at 8pm next Monday night (AEST) at Westminster Abbey.

Her journey of love will finally end later that day when the Queen is buried at Windsor Castle alongside her husband Philip, her father George VI, her mother and Princess Margaret.