King Charles goes to N.Ireland, the Queen’s coffin to be flown to London

BELFAST/EDINBURGH, Sept 13 (Reuters) – King Charles heads to Northern Ireland on Tuesday to lead the mourning for Queen Elizabeth in the four parts of Britain before his mother’s coffin is flown to London ahead of four days of lying in state.

After a silent vigil attended by Charles, his sister Anne and brothers Andrew and Edward at St Giles’ Cathedral in the Scottish capital Edinburgh on Monday, people lined up overnight to drive past the Queen’s coffin, some with sleeping children.

Charles, 73, will travel to the four parts of Britain before the Queen’s funeral on September 19. In Northern Ireland, people began lining the streets of Hillsborough Castle, the monarch’s official residence, ahead of his visit.

“We came out to pay our respects to Queen Elizabeth because she was a great queen and very loyal to Northern Ireland and we wanted to be here to welcome the new king,” said Heather Paul, 61, with flowers and a small union flag.

“We think Charles will be a fantastic king, he’s had a very long apprenticeship and I think he’ll follow in the Queen’s footsteps,” said Paul, who traveled 80km to pay her respects.

He is due to arrive later on Tuesday from Scotland, where he accompanied the Queen’s coffin up Edinburgh’s Royal Mile and was joined by his siblings for a 10-minute vigil at St Giles’ Cathedral. They stood with bowed heads at the four sides of the casket as members of the public filed by.

People lined up overnight to pay their respects, many wearing winter jackets, scarves and woolen hats to keep out the cold.

“We were desperate to be here to pay our respects.” said Will Brehme, an engineer from Edinburgh, who arrived early in the morning with his partner and 20-month-old daughter asleep in a baby carrier.

“It’s a moment that will live with us forever. When you think she’s worked her whole life for us, it’s the least we could do.”

Elizabeth died on Thursday at her holiday home at Balmoral Castle in the Scottish Highlands aged 96 after a 70-year reign that plunged the nation into mourning.

‘SPLIT COUNTRY’

Charles, who automatically became king of Britain and 14 other kingdoms including Australia, Canada and Jamaica, will be joined by new prime minister Liz Truss. Read more

In Belfast he will meet senior politicians and religious leaders and attend a service in the city’s St Anne’s Cathedral before returning to London. Read more

“For Northern Ireland, she meant a lot here. As you know, unfortunately we’re quite a divided country, but the Queen has always stood by us. She never put a foot wrong,” said Joey McPolin, 77, from Dramore.

“I think to be fair, our friends here in Northern Ireland, we all want to live together, we really do. I think people of different faiths recognize the wonderful work she did. I really hope that we all go forward and support our king.”

A powerful symbol of the union, the queen in her later years became an important force for reconciliation with her Irish nationalist enemies, with her state visit to Ireland in 2011, the first by a monarch in nearly a century of independence.

Charles has also spoken about the assassination of his great uncle Lord Mountbatten, with whom he was very close, in Ireland by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in 1979, saying that the death had given him a deep understanding of the suffering of so many have carried. people in the country.

“Don’t forget that the Royal Family themselves have been deeply affected by the violence in Northern Ireland in terms of their own family and loss,” said Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney.

“I expect that he will see his role as one of protecting and building and strengthening the relationship between Great Britain and Ireland, given the complexity of our past and given the polarization of political opinion, particularly in Northern Ireland, ” he told BBC radio. .

SCOTLAND

In Scotland, tens of thousands of mourners turned out to observe the processions along the historic Royal Mile. In London, large crowds of people have left flowers and messages on the grounds of royal parks.

The Queen’s coffin will leave Scotland for the first time since her death when it will be flown to London in the early evening and then driven to Buckingham Palace.

On Wednesday it will be taken on a gun carriage as part of a grand military procession to Westminster Hall, where a period of lying in state will begin until September 19.

Members of the public will be allowed to drive past the coffin, which will be draped in the Royal Standard flag with the sovereign’s orb and scepter placed on top, for 24 hours a day until the morning of the funeral.

The death of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch has prompted tears and warm tributes not just from the Queen’s own immediate family and across the UK, but from across the globe – a reflection of her presence on the world stage for seven decades.

More about Queen Elizabeth

* Queen Elizabeth’s coffin will be flown to London on Tuesday at the end of 24 hours of repose at Edinburgh’s historic cathedral

* Liz Truss is determined to strike the right tone in her first days in power

* Here are details of events leading up to the funeral

* A nation fit for a king? Scots face a new era as the case for independence emerges

* Queen Elizabeth’s reign featured enchiladas with Reagan, dancing with Ford

* Images from the life of Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s longest reigning sovereign

Written by Kate Holton, Michael Holden and Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Janet Lawrence

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