Thousands of people gathered at Edinburgh Castle, Cardiff Castle and Belfast’s Hillsborough Castle to hear the official announcement, although Charles officially became king when Queen Elizabeth II died Thursday.
The ceremonies took place as the late monarch’s coffin began the journey from Balmoral Castle to Edinburgh on Sunday. Crowds also lined the roads in tribute to the queen as the funeral procession slowly winds its way through tiny villages and small towns from the remote castle in the Scottish Highlands.
Draped with the Royal Standard of Scotland and with a wreath of flowers on top, it had remained at rest in the castle’s ballroom so the late monarch’s loyal Balmoral estate workers can say their last goodbyes.
The oak coffin was lifted into a hearse on Sunday at 10am (UK time) by six of the estate’s gamekeepers, who were tasked with the symbolic gesture, ready for a six-hour journey to Edinburgh.
Well-wishers have gathered along the route the cortege will take as it travels from Balmoral to the Scottish capital – which is expected to take about six hours.
It first passed through the nearby town of Ballater at approximately 10.20am. There was an “overwhelming emotion” when the Queen’s coffin passed through the Aberdeenshire village, where many local people knew her, the local minister said.
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