Adedokun Waliyu 
The Queen of England’s coffin has been seen for the first time as it begins its journey from Balmoral in Scotland to Edinburgh.
Draped with the Royal Standard of Scotland and featuring a wreath of flowers on top, the oak coffin travelled from the royal castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, with mourners lining the streets to pay their respects.
Following the Queen’s death on Thursday, it had remained at rest in the Balmoral ballroom to give estate workers there the chance to say goodbye for the last time
Six of the estate’s gamekeepers lifted the coffin into a hearse at 10am, marking the start of the cortege’s six-hour journey to the Scottish capital.
Nicola Sturgeon, the country’s first minister, said the “poignant” journey would give people in Scotland the chance to come together to “mark our country’s shared loss.”
Public viewing of the coffin will begin at 5pm on Monday but people have been warned of long waits and photography and recording is strictly prohibited.
Princess Anne will fly to London with her mother’s body on Tuesday.
The events in Scotland are the first meticulously planned steps leading to the funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday 19 September – a day that will be a bank holiday.
