Queen Elizabeth II : Queen’s coffin arrives in Aberdeen
Queen Elizabeth II : Queen’s coffin arrives in Aberdeen
Queen Elizabeth II : Queen’s coffin arrives in Aberdeen
The procession carrying the Queen’s coffin has arrived in Aberdeen in the last few minutes. Thousands have lined the streets in the city to pay their respects.
The cortege had been due to arrive in Aberdeen, know as the “Granite City”, at about 11.20am, so is a little behind schedule. Regional proclamation ceremonies for King Charles III are taking place in parts of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from noon. In Edinburgh, the King’s Body Guard for Scotland, known as the Royal Company of Archers, and the guard of honour marched from the Castle Esplanade to the Mercat Cross. The Lord Lyon King of Arms read the proclamation of the new King to the people of Scotland just after noon.
He then declared: “God Save the King” – and a gun salute took place. Ceremonies have also taken place outside Cardiff Castle and Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland. Wales Herald of Arms Extraordinary, Tom Lloyd, and the Lord-Lieutenant of South Glamorgan, Morfudd Meredith, read the proclamation of the new King in English and Welsh. The proclamation event in Hillsborough took place in heavy rain.
A historic symbol of Scotland’s monarchy, the Stone of Destiny is a coarse-grained, pinkish buff sandstone stone that was used in the inauguration of Scottish kings for centuries. When Elizabeth II was crowned at Westminster Abbey in 1953, her throne sat above the stone, which is also known as the Stone of Scone. It has now been confirmed that it will be moved to London from its current home in Edinburgh Castle’s crown room especially for King Charles III’s coronation, for which a date is still to be announced.
A spokeswoman for Historic Environment Scotland (HES) said the stone would be moved to Westminster Abbey ahead of the coronation and then be returned to Scotland.
In 1296, King Edward I had the stone removed from Scotland and it was built into a new throne at Westminster Abbey in London. It was only returned to Scotland on St Andrew’s Day in November 1996. In 1950, four Scottish students famously stole the stone from Westminster Abbey – it was found some three months later, 500 miles away, at the high altar of Arbroath Abbey.
In November 2020, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced plans to relocate the stone to Perth.
Stay tuned for your latest new songs, music video, podcasts etc
