The Queen will depart Balmoral for the final time tonight (7pm AEST) as a hearse carries her oak coffin to Edinburgh to begin a nine-day journey to her final resting place at Windsor Castle.
After days of mixed messages, Buckingham Palace has confirmed that the last journey of the 96-year-old monarch is one that will give British mourners a chance to stand by the roadside to say a final farewell to their queen as she passes by.
The Queen is due to leave Balmoral at 7pm with her hearse driving through the Scottish towns of Aberdeen and Dundee where her coffin will be greeted by local dignitaries. Large crowds are expected to line the route with police making special arrangements for viewing points to catch a final glimpse of the Queen who passed away last week after a record 70 years on the throne.
She will be driven to Edinburgh where her coffin will be placed in the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official residence of the royals in Scotland.
The following day, Monday, the Queen will move in a procession down Edinburgh’s famous Royal Mile to St Giles Cathedral where she will lie in state for 24 hours.
During that time, members of the Royal family, including King Charles and Camilla, will attend and pay their respects in a service. The following day the Queen’s body will be flown to London, accompanied by her daughter Princess Anne.
The Queen will then be transported 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 Monday night (AEST) at Westminster Abbey before she is buried at Windsor Castle alongside her husband Philip, her father George VI, her mother and Princess Margaret.
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