Thousands of people are queuing Edinburgh to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth as her coffin lies at rest in St. Giles’ Cathedral.
The coffin of Her Late Majesty was brought in procession to the Cathedral on the afternoon of September 12th 2022 from the Throne Room at Holyroodhouse. It was placed on a catafalque made of Scottish oak.
A Service of Thanksgiving for her life followed before a guard formed around the coffin and the doors of the Cathedral opened to allow people to file past and pay their respects.
People have since been walking past the coffin, often pausing briefly to bow their heads and then moving on.
The coffin is draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland and bears a wreath of white flowers peppered with mini blue thistles, the national flower of Scotland.
On top of the coffin is the Crown of Scotland, placed there by the Duke of Hamilton, the most senior peer in Scotland behind the Duke of Rothesay.
The Crown dates back to the 16th century. It was remade in 1540 for King James V of Scotland from the original Crown of Scotland. That was melted down with more Scottish gold added. It is decorated with gold and black enamel and pearls. James V was succeeded to the throne by his baby daughter who became Mary, Queen of Scots. Her rule co-incided with that of her cousin, Elizabeth I of England.
It is a reminder that the reign which has just ended was that of the first Queen called Elizabeth to rule Scotland. Elizabeth Tudor never ruled the country. Instead, she left her own crown to Mary’s son, James VI, who united the thrones and the kingdom eventually turned into that of Great Britain and Ireland, later Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Queen Elizabeth I of Scotland will lie in rest at St. Giles’ Cathedral until September 13th when Her Late Majesty’s coffin will be transferred to London.
