Poignant moment Princess Anne curtsies to beloved mum as Queen begins final journey from Balmoral to Buckingham Palace
PRINCESS Anne curtsied to her beloved mother yesterday as the Queen began her final journey from Balmoral to Buckingham Palace.
Anne followed Her Majesty’s oak coffin on a 6½-hour drive to Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh where she was joined by brothers Andrew and Edward plus Sophie Wessex.
The coffin, draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland, was carried into the palace by a military bearer party as Anne made her emotional gesture of respect.
A royal procession will today move the coffin to nearby St Giles’ Cathedral.
The Queen will lie in state there for a day before being taken to London.
Yesterday, the first leg of her final journey, saw adoring crowds pack the streets of Scottish towns on the route of her black Mercedes hearse, with tens of thousands paying tribute in Edinburgh.
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Flowers were thrown into the road in front of the vehicle as Britain began the long grieving process for its treasured monarch.
Ros Kain, 46, travelled from England to be among crowds applauding on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile and said: “It was our way of saying thank you for a lifetime of service.
“It was incredibly sad but beautiful that her people were able to say goodbye.”
On Friday, in his first speech as king, Charles III had said: “And to my darling Mama, as you begin your last great journey to join my dear late Papa, I want simply to say this: Thank you.
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“Thank you for your love and devotion to our family and to the family of nations you have served so diligently all these years.”
The Queen had left Balmoral at 10.06am for a 175-mile journey to Edinburgh which would normally take less than three hours.
She finally arrived at 4.22pm due to the huge crowds on the route.
Every time the hearse passed through a town or city it slowed to walking pace to allow the thousands of well-wishers to pay their respects.
The biggest reception was on the Royal Mile where people had waited for hours 15-deep in places to catch a glimpse of the final journey.
The city had been transformed in the past 48 hours in readiness with roads closed and hundreds of barriers in place to control crowds.
Security was tight with hundreds of officers deployed across the city.
Armed police took up sniper positions on balconies and rooftops along the Royal Mile.
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Thankfully the day passed without incident as the Queen arrived safely at the monarch’s official residence in Scotland.
She was met by a guard of honour formed by the King’s Bodyguard for Scotland, the Royal Company of Archers, before her coffin — with a single wreath made from flowers cut from the Balmoral estate on top — was taken to the palace’s throne room.
Andrew, Edward and Sophie stood outside to greet her as the hearse arrived.
Around 50 palace staff also gathered in the courtyard.
Charles arrives in Edinburgh today, meaning all four of the Queen’s children will be at her side.
Scottish leaders were proud that their country was able to play a role in her final journey, due to her deep love of the country.
Last year at the opening of the Scottish parliament, she said: “I have spoken before of my deep and abiding affection for this wonderful country and of the many happy memories Prince Philip and I always held of our time here.
“It is often said that it is the people that make a place. And there are few places where this is truer than in Scotland.”
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that seeing her on television leave Balmoral for the last time yesterday was “sad and poignant”.
She added: “Her Majesty’s death at Balmoral Castle means Scotland has lost one of its most dedicated and beloved servants.
“The grief we have seen across the world has been profound and deeply touching.
“Today, as she makes her journey to Edinburgh, Scotland will pay tribute to an extraordinary woman.”
EXTRAORDINARY WOMAN
Robert Aldridge, the Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh, added: “We are incredibly proud that we are at the centre of a historic moment.
“There is a determination to make sure we put on the best display we can as some kind of payback to the Queen for the service she has given to the country.”
As the coffin passed the Scottish Parliament — just over the road from the palace — the country’s political leaders assembled to pay their respects.
Ms Sturgeon, Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar were among those who stood outside Holyrood as the hearse slowed.
Earlier, well-wishers stood in silence near Balmoral as Her Majesty began her journey.
She was driven into the nearby village of Ballater, a place she was extremely fond of and where she was treated as a neighbour.
The cortège was greeted with a hushed silence through the packed streets.
Lord Lieutenants from Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire stood to attention outside Glenmuick church in the centre of town, joined by Richard Baird, the Commander of Clan Baird and a member of the Royal Company of Archers.
A single motorbike outrider led the way with Princess Anne’s husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence accompanying her in a limousine directly behind the hearse.
Nearly 20 support vehicles followed including armed police, soldiers, police outriders, an ambulance and spare hearse should the main vehicle break down.
Shop owner Alistair Cassie, 78, told of his pride to have been among locals invited to Balmoral to pay their respects in private in the main ballroom.
He said: “It was a moving experience. It’s a historic day, once in a lifetime. There’s a real sadness, everyone knew this day would come because of her age, but it is still a difficult day.”
As the hearse made its way through Aberdeenshire dozens of farmers paid their respects by lining the route with tractors.
Guards of honour were formed in fields.
When the cortège got further south crowds packed every bridge over the M90 which were festooned with Union Jack and Scottish flags.
Scores of cars pulled on to the hard shoulder to catch a glimpse.
In Edinburgh, dark clouds gathered but the rain held off.
Civil servant Rhonda Conlin, 48, of Stockton-on-Tees, said: “I can’t get to London for the funeral so I made a last-minute decision to jump on a train and head north. I am glad I did. This is the saddest of days but there is so much love and admiration for the Queen.”
The applause which greeted the Queen as she was driven along the Royal Mile trickled away as the coffin passed into the palace grounds.
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The crowds remained still and silent, lost in their own thoughts, as the Queen was carried into Holyrood.
Only then did the first spots of rain begin to fall.