Queen Elizabeth's coffin has arrived in Edinburgh after a six-hour journey from her summer home in the Scottish Highlands, past tens of thousands of mourners lining the route, many in sombre silence, some applauding and others in tears.
Shortly after 10am on Sunday, a hearse carrying Elizabeth's oak coffin emerged from the gates of Balmoral Castle, where she died on Thursday aged 96, at the start of a slow drive to the Scottish capital.
The coffin was draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland with a wreath on top made of flowers taken from the Balmoral estate including sweet peas, one of Elizabeth's favourites.
Crowds, fifteen deep in places, massed in the centre of Edinburgh to greet the cortege, which included the Queen's daughter Princess Anne as it made its way to the Palace of Holyroodhouse where it was met by a military guard of honour.
Soldiers from the Royal Regiment of Scotland then carried the coffin to the throne room of the palace where it will remain overnight.
"There was no way I could miss this. I would regret it for the rest of my life," said Eilidh Mackintosh, 62, who left her home at 6am to be sure of a good view on Edinburgh's famous Royal Mile where large crowds were gathering.
"She never let us down and I didn't want to let her down either. Now she has gone there is a big hole in the heart of the nation."
The king himself will travel to Edinburgh on Monday for a prayer service, before the body of the queen, who died at Balmoral on Thursday aged 96, is flown to the capital on Tuesday.
She will then lie in state for four days in an event expected to draw at least a million people, ahead of the state funeral at Westminster Abbey in London on 19 September.
Show of unity
While Charles' accession has pushed Britain into what newspapers have called the new "Carolean" era, Britain and the royal family are still coming to terms with the end of the Elizabethan age.
Prince William broke his silence with an emotional tribute to his beloved "Grannie" on Saturday.
"She was by my side at my happiest moments. And she was by my side during the saddest days of my life," said William, who has now become the Prince of Wales.
But the queen's death also brought a surprise show of unity from William, 40, and his younger brother Harry, 37, when they emerged with their wives to speak to well-wishers outside Windsor Castle, near London.
The sight of the two couples who have barely seen each other since 2020, together -- even if they separated to speak and shake hands with different sides of the cheering crowds -- will likely spark rumours of a reconciliation.
Pictures of the four were splashed on the covers of Sunday's newspapers.
"Reunited for granny," read the Sunday Mirror's headline, while the Telegraph ran with "Reunited in sorrow" and the Sun with "All 4 One".
The Sunday Times focussed on the apparent frostiness, with the headline: "Warring Windsors' awkward truce to honour the Queen".
Senior royals including the queen's children, Princess Anne and Princes Andrew and Edward and their families also inspected flowers outside Balmoral, where they have remained since the queen's death.
The queen's coffin, draped with a Scottish Royal Standard and floral wreath, has been kept in Balmoral's ballroom and will be carried to her hearse by six estate gamekeepers.
'Many, many people'
The symbolism of the queen's last journey will be heavy for a nation that has strong royal connections - but where there is a strong Scottish independence movement intent on severing the centuries-old union with the United Kingdom.
Rehearsals for the historic event began before dawn.
Dedicated viewing points are being set up along the route, although mourners will be asked not to throw flowers at the convoy as it passes.
"We anticipate many, many people will be keen to pay their respects," First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said.
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The queen's coffin will be taken to the Holyroodhouse Palace, the monarch's official residence in Scotland, where it will rest for a day.
King Charles and other royals will on Monday take part in a procession to convey her coffin along Edinburgh's Royal Mile to St Giles' Cathedral.
The following day the coffin will be flown by Royal Air Force jet to Northolt airfield near London, and driven to Buckingham Palace. Then, on Wednesday, it will be moved to Westminster Hall to lie in state.
King Charles will also visit Northern Ireland and Wales in a show of national unity, accompanied by British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who was only appointed by the late queen on Tuesday.
He has seen his popularity recover since Diana's death in a 1997 car crash, but he takes the throne at a moment of deep anxiety in Britain over the spiralling cost of living and international instability caused by the war in Ukraine.
'Inspiring example'
Charles vowed at the formal Accession Council at St James's Palace on Saturday that he would "strive to follow the inspiring example I have been set" by his mother during her "lifetime of service".
The centuries-old tradition was televised live for the first time, featuring a fanfare of trumpets and a court official wearing a feathered hat to declare him king from a palace balcony.
Thousands of people have gathered outside Buckingham Palace and other royal residences in recent days to lay flowers and messages of condolence, or simply to experience history in the making.
But officials expect far more people to pay their respects while the queen lies in state, before the televised funeral service at Westminster Abbey opposite.
The funeral for the queen - who came to the throne aged just 25 in 1952 - will be attended by national leaders including US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and possibly Japanese Emperor Naruhito.
Her record 70 years on the throne were a constant during a turbulent time for Britain, from a world of post-war deprivation and the loss of its empire, to more recent traumas like the coronavirus pandemic.
Charles's coronation, an elaborate ritual steeped in tradition and history, will take place in the same historic surroundings of Westminster Abbey, as it has for centuries, on a date to be fixed.
