King Charles III to fly to Edinburgh today, 10 updates on Queen’s final rites

Britain’s King Charles III will fly to Edinburgh on Monday to join his siblings when the coffin of his mother – Queen Elizabeth II – is taken from one of her Scottish palaces to the city’s historic St. Giles cathedral.

The new monarch will also join senior royals for a vigil at the church where the coffin will lie at rest before being flown to London on Tuesday. Since Elizabeth II’s death at the Balmoral Castle, her Scottish holiday home, a carefully choreographed series of plans to mourn Britain’s monarch of 70 years has been put into operation.

Here’s how the funeral will proceed:

1. On Sunday, her oak coffin, draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland with a wreath on top, was taken by hearse on a six-hour journey from Balmoral through picturesque Scottish countryside, villages, small towns and cities to the capital of Scotland – Edinburgh.

2. King Charles III will first travel to the British parliament for a traditional ceremony in which the lawmakers from the House of Commons and the upper House of Lords will express their condolences, and the new king will deliver a response.

3. He will then fly to Edinburgh with his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, to join his sister Anne, and brothers Andrew and Edward.

4. The coffin of Britain’s longest ruling monarch will be taken to St Giles’ Cathedral, flanked by soldiers after all her children arrive in Edinburgh. When it arrives at the church, the Crown of Scotland will be placed on the coffin in a traditional service. The coffin will then rest at the cathedral for 24 hours to allow people to pay their respects.

5. While in Scotland, King Charles III will also visit the Scottish parliament and meet Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon.

6. On Tuesday, the coffin will be flown to London. It will be flown by the Royal Air Force and taken to Buckingham Palace. A day later, it will be transported from Buckingham Palace to Parliament on a gun carriage.

7. Wednesday onwards, people will pay their final respects to Queen Elizabeth II as she lies in state at the Houses of Parliament in London till September 19.

8. The closed coffin of the monarch will rest on a raised platform called a catafalque in Westminster Hall at the Houses of Parliament. Those who wish to pay their respects will go through airport-style security checks, and will be allowed to carry only small bags. People will be required to queue for many hours, possibly overnight, the officials said.

9. On September 19, the queen’s coffin will be taken from Westminster Hall to nearby Westminster Abbey for a state funeral that begins at 11 am. Leaders and dignitaries from around the world including US President Joe Biden will be in attendance.

10. The funeral marks the end of 10 days of national morning, and the day will be a public holiday across the UK.