The journey which will bring Her Majesty The Queen’s cortege to Edinburgh starts on Sunday from Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, arriving there about 4pm.
Her Majesty’s coffin will leave Balmoral at 10am to be brought by road to The Palace of Holyroodhouse, where it will remain before Lying at Rest from Monday afternoon at St Giles’ Cathedral.
To minimise disruption as the convoy makes the journey from Balmoral to Edinburgh and to allow those who wish to pay their respects to do so safely, there will be designated viewing locations along the route. These will be at Ballater, Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh.
All the pavements along the route in Edinburgh are lined with doubled up barriers to allow the public to view from there. The Edinburgh route will stretch from north of the city to The Palace of Holyroodhouse.
Members of the public are asked to check Transport Scotland, Aberdeenshire Council, Aberdeen City Council, Dundee City Council and The City of Edinburgh Council for local route advice and further safety messaging before leaving home.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “Her Majesty’s death at Balmoral Castle means Scotland has lost one of its most dedicated and beloved servants. The grief we have seen across the world has been profound and deeply touching. It will be especially poignant to see Her Majesty’s coffin begin its journey from her Aberdeenshire home to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.
“This is a chance for people to gather together publicly and begin to mark our country’s shared loss. We anticipate many, many people will be keen to pay their respects and we ask them to observe public safety messaging to ensure the safety of all.”
There will be temporary closures of laybys and access roads along the route the convoy will travel. Transport networks are likely to be busy and delays are expected along the route. Regular traffic reports will be provided via Traffic Scotland and travel bulletins on TV and radio.
For safety reasons, those wishing to leave floral tributes are asked to do so at designated areas along the route and mourners have been requested not to throw flowers at the convoy as it passes.
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