EDINBURGH: Britain's King Charles will fly to Edinburgh to join his siblings on Monday when the coffin of his mother Queen Elizabeth is taken in a solemn procession from one of her Scottish palaces to the city's historic St. Giles cathedral.
The new monarch will also join senior royals for a vigil at the church where the coffin will lie at rest before being flown to London on Tuesday.
Since Elizabeth's death aged 96 at Balmoral Castle, her Scottish holiday home, a carefully choreographed series of plans to mourn Britain's monarch of 70 years has been put into operation.
On Sunday, her oak coffin, draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland with a wreath on top, was taken by hearse on a six-hour journey from Balmoral through picturesque Scottish countryside, villages, small towns and cities to Edinburgh.
Tens of thousands of well-wishers lined the roads to pay their respects, while huge crowds, some in tears, gathered in Edinburgh to greet the cortege.
Before setting off for Scotland, Charles, 73, who automatically became king of the United Kingdom and 14 other realms of including Australia, Canada, Jamaica, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, will travel to the British parliament for another traditional ceremony.
At Westminster Hall, lawmakers from both the House of Commons and the upper House of Lords will express their condolences for the death of his mother, and the new king will deliver a response.
He will then fly to Edinburgh with his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, to join his sister Anne, and brothers Andrew and Edward.
The Queen's children will then walk in a procession behind the hearse as the coffin of their mother is taken to St Giles' Cathedral, flanked by soldiers. (Reuters)