King Charles in Scotland, while Queen Elizabeth’s coffin lies in rest at St.
They saw, in stately procession, the Mercedes-Benz hearse being escorted by the King’s Bodyguard for Scotland, followed by the lead mourners: Queen Elizabeth II’s four children. Three were in their military finery, including King Charles III in admiral’s uniform. Prince Andrew was dressed in a morning coat — no longer a working royal, mostly banished by scandal, but still present.
The people were mostly silent, holding aloft their smartphones. A lone heckler, who directed his insults at Andrew, was yanked backward and arrested for disturbing the peace. Some in the crowd shouted “God bless the queen!” and “God save the king!”
In this moment, Scotland embraced its “Queen of Scots.”
But the question with her death is what comes next?
There’s no question that the British royal family has the closest of ties to Scotland, and the vast majority of people here deeply respected the queen.
And yet. Scots hold complicated feelings about the monarchy and whether Scotland should be independent — or even a republic free of hereditary royals. The feelings were undercurrents here on Monday, as the queen’s coffin traveled from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St. Giles’ Cathedral, and the new king addressed the Scottish Parliament.
Inside St. Giles, the Rev. Iain Greenshields paid tribute to the queen’s love of Balmoral Castle, where she was “valued as a neighbor and friend, and there she drew strength and refreshment during the summer months.”
The queen savored her royal estate in the Scottish Highlands, all 50,000 acres of it, where she spent holidays, on the vast moors and glens, shooting grouse and red deer stag. The queen’s family called it her “happy place.” It was there that she performed her last ceremonial act — appointing her 15th prime minister, Liz Truss, last week. And it was there that she died on Thursday, at the age of 96.
“She loved Scotland. Loved it,” said Haley Wilson, 34, a civil tax official waiting in an hours-long line to view the queen’s coffin at the cathedral. “Balmoral, and she loved the bagpipes. She loved being outdoors and the landscapes. She loved Scotland. That means so much.”
Wilson was 18 months old when she first met the sovereign. Her mother loved to tell of how the queen, in church for Easter, had “waved” to baby Haley. Wilson described Elizabeth II as a “Scottish queen.”
The new king also has deep connections to Scotland. He attended boarding school at Gordonstoun, with its cold showers and bullying and serious study, which he credits with teaching him about hard work. He established a hub for his Prince’s Foundation, and its sustainability…
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