Queen’s coffin procession to wind through Scotland

As it starts its final trip from her cherished Scottish resort of Balmoral on Sunday, the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II will travel by road through towns and villages in Scotland.

In order to witness her oak coffin being driven through Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen, and Dundee on its trip to Edinburgh, mourners are expected to throng the streets.

The 180-mile (290-kilometer) trip across Scotland’s northeastern and eastern countryside will take at least six hours, as shown in the following timeline:

The queen’s coffin has been kept at Balmoral, draped in the Scottish royal standard and a wreath, since she died on Thursday aged 96.

After the coffin is carried to the hearse by six Balmoral estate gamekeepers, the cortege will head to the nearby town of Ballater, arriving at 10:12 am for officials from the county of Aberdeenshire to pay tribute.

The Earl of Dalhousie and the pastor of Crathie Kirk, a church she frequented while living at Balmoral, will accompany the casket.

The coffin will enter Aberdeen, the third-largest city in Scotland and a key oil sector hub known for its grey granite structures.

There will be a public display in the city’s historic Duthie Park following another tribute by local officials.

The cortege will arrive in Dundee on the east coast, Scotland’s fourth city. Civic leaders will stand on a raised platform to bid farewell to her.

It will cross a road bridge en route to Edinburgh that is parallel to the famous Forth Bridge, which carries trains across the vast Firth of Forth estuary.

A guard of honor will receive the queen’s coffin when it arrives at the 500-year-old Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, which is located at the base of Arthur’s Seat hill.

People are anticipated to line the path leading from the city’s north to its center. Party leaders and the first minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, will assemble at the legislature to observe the casket procession.

On Monday, the coffin will be carried in procession along the Royal Mile street to St Giles’ Cathedral, where it will rest for 24 hours after a service. On Tuesday the queen’s coffin will be flown to London.

Mridha Shihab Mahmud is a writer, content editor and photojournalist. He works as a staff reporter at News Hour. He is also involved in humanitarian works through a trust called Safety Assistance For Emergencies (SAFE). Mridha also works as film director. His passion is photography. He is the chief respondent person in Mymensingh Film & Photography Society. Besides professional attachment, he loves graphics designing, painting, digital art and social networking.
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