Scotland's final goodbye: Mourners bid farewell to Queen before she leaves country for the last time

13 September 2022, 07:41 | Updated: 13 September 2022, 09:29

Scotland is bidding farewell to the UK's longest-reigning monarch before her coffin is brought to London on Tuesday
Scotland is bidding farewell to the UK's longest-reigning monarch before her coffin is brought to London on Tuesday. Picture: Getty/Alamy

By Daisy Stephens

Tens of thousands of tearful mourners have queued through the night in Edinburgh to bid farewell to Queen Elizabeth II before she leaves the country for the final time on Tuesday night.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

Members of the public braved hours-long queues in chilly nighttime temperatures in order to file past the coffin in St Giles' Chapel.

Deputy Leader of the House of Lords, Lord Ian Duncan, said the queues showed an 'extraordinary outpouring of grief for an extraordinary woman'.

"The sheer quantity of individuals moving into Edinburgh today (indicates) that there will be many tens - possibly even hundreds - of thousands of people who will wish to pay their respects to the late Queen," Lord Duncan said on Tuesday morning.

Read more: Guard of honour for monarch and mother: Charles leads Queen's children in vigil as mourners line streets to see coffin

Read more: Live updates: Thousands file past Queen's coffin overnight before she travels to London on Tuesday

"That is an extraordinary outpouring of respect, grief, celebration of an extraordinary woman.

"By goodness, they were ten-deep.

"They had to stop people trying to get there because it would have become dangerous."

Mourners queued for around five hours to see the Queen's coffin in St Giles' CathedralMourners queued for around five hours to see the Queen's coffin in St Giles' Cathedral
Mourners queued for around five hours to see the Queen's coffin in St Giles' CathedralMourners queued for around five hours to see the Queen's coffin in St Giles' Cathedral. Picture: Getty

One individual, Gavin Hamilton from Edinburgh, said he queued for over five hours and was eventually inside the Cathedral at about 3am.

"It took about five and a quarter hours waiting in line to see her," he said.

"There were people in the queue with me who had travelled from Aberdeen, over 100 miles away, to do this.

"There were thousands of people in line at 12.30am at the start of the queue.

"The people were still (lining up) after 2.50 am when I got into the cathedral."

Lord Duncan said the queues showed an 'extraordinary outpouring of grief'
Lord Duncan said the queues showed an 'extraordinary outpouring of grief'. Picture: Alamy

Fellow mourner Mitch Stevenson, who queued for just under five hours with his sister, said they were "overwhelmed with the power and emotion of the occasion" after making it into St Giles’ cathedral just after 1am.

"It was a very important occasion for us – we lost our mum earlier this year and she would have loved to have been able to go, so we went for her memory also," Mr Stevenson said.

Shortly after 6am on Tuesday the Scottish Government said the approximate waiting time was roughly two hours but added that that is expected to lengthen during the morning.

It advised people wishing to join the queue to go prepared and dressed for the weather.

Members of the public filing past the coffin
Members of the public filing past the coffin. Picture: Alamy

Members of the public started going into the cathedral at about 6pm, and the procession was temporarily paused to allow the royal family to take part in a short vigil at about 8pm, led by King Charles III.

After a short procession, the Queen's four children - Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward - stood on one of the four corners of the oak coffin with their heads bowed in a traditional ceremony known as the Vigil of the Princes.  

Charles kept his hands joined and looked towards the floor as members of the public walked past.

Read more: Queen's coffin to be flown to London and King to travel to Northern Ireland on day four of London Bridge

Watch: ‘We’ve lost our best friend’: Royal horse trainer mourns Her Majesty the Queen

His brother Andrew kept his eyes closed for a period of time during the vigil while the Princess Royal and Earl of Wessex had their eyes fixed towards the floor.

They stood alongside four suited members of the Royal Company of Archers, who were standing guard dressed in long-feathered hats and armed with arrows and quivers, while Camilla, the Queen Consort, watched on from a distance.

The tradition has been honoured since the death of King George V in 1936, with Princess Anne becoming the first female royal to take part. 

Charles at the Vigil of the Princes
Charles at the Vigil of the Princes. Picture: Alamy

While Charles, Anne and Edward all appeared in military uniform, Andrew wore only a morning suit, having been banned from wearing uniform on public occasions following his exile from public life amid the fallout from his role in the Jeffrey Epstien scandal.

Respectful well-wishers desperate to pay their respects were overcome with emotion as they solemnly walked past Her Majesty's coffin.

The Queen will lie in state there for 24 hours before she is flown to London ahead of the funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday, September 19.

Charles leads his siblings in Vigil of the Princes
Charles leads his siblings in Vigil of the Princes. Picture: Alamy

The first people to view the late Queen's coffin at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, where it will lie for 24 hours, yesterday spoke about their experience.

George Higgins, a former soldier in the Scots Guards, was at the front of the queue, with hundreds of well-wishers behind him lining George IV bridge.

The 61-year-old has been queuing since 7am, shortly after he finished an overnight shift as a security guard at the University of Edinburgh.

He said: "I've been here since 6.45am, I came straight here after a night shift at work. I took my clothes to work, got changed and came straight here. I'm going back on shift at 9.30pm tonight, so I'm going to be very tired. But it's worth it, with her service to the country, to us, to people and to the Commonwealth, the least I can do is give her a couple of days of my time to say farewell.

Read more: First Royal fans descend on London ahead of Queen's coffin's arrival as mourners warned of 30-hour queues

Read more: Heckler who called Prince Andrew "sick old man" arrested during procession

"It's a real privilege to be here. I can't believe I'm actually first. I have actually got to pinch myself. It's just luck."

Karen Whitehouse left her home in Loweswater, Cumbria, at 2am to start queuing to pay her respects to the late monarch in the Scottish capital.

Speaking about her moment with the royal coffin, the 64-year-old said: "It was surreal. It was very quiet, everyone was very still. It was like they were all statues. I can't believe I've done it and I was that close. I paid my respects, it was just beautiful."

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Prime Minister Keir Starmer Hosts UK-EU Summit In London

British fishing boat named after Thatcher held in French custody days after Starmer’s EU fish deal

Sunderland players celebrate promotion

Sunderland promoted to Premier League after beating Sheffield United 2-1 in Championship play-off final

Man competing in Jim Clark rally in the Scottish Borders dies following crash

Man competing in Jim Clark rally in the Scottish Borders dies following crash

Boris and Carrie Johnson have welcomed their fourth child together

Boris Johnson welcomes fourth baby with wife Carrie as they celebrate 'final gang member'

A child with special needs getting extra support in school.

Hundreds of thousands of children with special needs in England face losing right to extra school support

Undated family handout photo issued by South Wales Police of 16-year-old, Taha Soomro of Grangetown, Cardiff, who died from a medical episode at Barry Island Pleasure Park

Boy, 15, arrested on suspicion of assault after 16-year-old dies at Barry Island theme park

Red carpet at the Palais des Festivals during the 78th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Saturday, May 24, 2025.

Cannes Film Festival struck by major power outage weeks after blackouts sparked chaos in Spain and southern France

Victims of the infected blood scandal have been "left in the dark" about when they will receive compensation a year after a sweeping inquiry report was published, Andy Burnham has said.

Victims of infected blood scandal ‘left in the dark’ about compensation, Andy Burnham says

Three men have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following the incident in Stoke Poges on Thursday evening.

Three arrested as police officer fighting for his life in hospital after car crash while he was on duty

Silhouette of teacher writing on whiteboard in classroom

Christian teacher sacked after refusing to use trans pupil’s preferred pronouns loses religious discrimination case

Jurgen Klopp holding a Trent Alexander-Arnold Liverpool shirt during the LFC Foundation Ball at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral.

'I turned off my telly' - Jurgen Klopp ‘never been so disappointed’ in fans after they booed Trent Alexander-Arnold

A man has been arrested after a fire killed a mother and her three children

'Absolutely devastating' - Mother and three children die in London house fire as man arrested on suspicion of murder

Palestinians search for survivors after an Israeli airstrike in Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, on May 23, 2025.

Israeli troops 'forcing Palestinians to act as human shields in Gaza', soldiers and ex detainees say

Home Office UK Visas and Immigration office sign Cardiff Wales UK

Nigerian drug dealer’s deportation case to be reheard after Home Office 'mistake'

London UK - Jun 22 2024: Envirnomental campaigner, former pop star and punk rocker Fergal Sharkey at the Restore Nature Now march for environmental pr

Feargal Sharkey reveals prostate cancer diagnosis after going to doctor for sore throat

Damage is seen to a residential building after a Russian attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, May 24, 2025.

Drones and missiles batter Kyiv in 'large-scale attack' hours after Ukraine-Russia prisoner swap