“I took two deep breaths and went inside. I bowed to the coffin and came out,” says Sheila, military uniform on her shoulders, her medals and those of her father on her chest. “It’s a way of bringing the family back with me,” explains the one who waited all Monday, September 12 to enter Edinburgh’s Saint-Gilles Cathedral and who was also “her patron saint.” Paying last respects She was in the army: Elizabeth II.
>> Follow Elizabeth II’s funeral in our lives
The Queen’s coffin, which arrived in Edinburgh on Sunday, was indeed escorted by the new King Charles III, surrounded by his siblings, from the Royal Palace of Holyroodouse to the city’s cathedral on Monday. A mass was held there, which was broadcast on a giant screen in a city park before the cathedral was opened to the public. Scots will parade all night before the coffin, guarded by four royal archers and bearing the crown of Scotland, before heading to London on Tuesday.
This morning quite a few people are already near St. Giles Cathedral and along the road to Holyroodhouse. But the beginning of the procession is only in 4 hours #Queen Elizabeth II #KingCharlesIII #Scotland @franceinfo @franceinfoplus pic.twitter.com/SF4CFMBJGO
— Theo U. (@theo_uhrt) 09/12/2022
To be among the first, you had to be there very early: Sheila arrived around 7am on Monday morning, more than ten hours of waiting. “And I’ll wait twice as long just to go near Her Majesty one last time, she supposes. It was a great honor.” Jane and Paul drove four hours to arrive in Edinburgh and the wait is no problem for them either:
“She sacrificed her whole life for the country, we can give her a day.”
Jane and Paul
at franceinfo
Christel also waited all day for a few minutes in the cathedral and a few seconds in front of the coffin. She wanted to “pay her respects to the Queen one last time”. “It’s a moment I’ll never forget,” said the Scot. Ann walks out of the cathedral right after her, calling the moment “unreal”. “I’m at a loss for words, it’s… You know, I think Scotland have been doing very professionally on the territory the past few days,” she says, her voice sobbing and her throat tight.
“I was able to thank her for her years of service and offer a final greeting,” adds Alan, also one of the first to approach the royal coffin. Everyone in line remembers an image of the queen. For him it will be her eternal smile when others prefer to remember her dignity at her husband’s funeral. Some have an anecdote to tell, from simple eye contact to a casual discussion with the monarch about riding.
Sheila got up very early and waited over ten hours to be one of the first to get to Elizabeth II’s coffin for a final tribute. (THEO UHART / FRANCEINFO)
All these early risers were joined at the end of the day by those taking part in the Queen’s Coffin Procession in the afternoon, creating a huge queue in the heart of Edinburgh. In the late afternoon he crossed half of the city for more than two kilometers. Helen and Gary, who were born “in the year of his coronation,” are last in line, but that won’t deter them. The couple are ready to wait a large part of the night for this queen “whom they respected very much”. This is how they planned everything: Energy bars and cake in her backpack, Helen describes mischievously.
They follow a different strategy: Harvey, Paul, Steven and Ronnie live near Glasgow. These “loyalists” came by train on Monday morning to announce the arrival of Charles III. and then witness the procession to the Cathedral. Then they went home, planning to come back in the middle of the night to avoid queues as much as possible: “We might have to wait an hour or two, but it doesn’t matter.” Upon hearing the news, it was Harvey, 20, who was “devastated”. “She was like family, she was always there. And she is a role model for many,” says the young Scot.
Not far away are Harvey, Paul, Steven and Ronnie. Those who call themselves “Loyalists” happily attend to see the new king and pay their last respects to Queen Elizabeth II
“Charles has said and done everything right since becoming king,” Paul said. pic.twitter.com/abLPWzMJWj
— Theo U. (@theo_uhrt) 09/12/2022
Even after her death, Elizabeth II will therefore have managed to gather large crowds in Scotland as the country questions its independence. And the length of this snake says a lot about the affection the Scots had for them. This is perhaps another record for a queen who already holds so many. From France it is certainly another secret in this very special relationship that Britons have with the one who was their Queen for 70 years and whom they say goodbye as if they were a member of their family. .