Queen to return to Buckingham Palace today as coffin is flown from Scotland
The Queen's coffin is being flown from Edinburgh to RAF Northolt
Last updated 13th Sep 2022
The late Queen Elizabeth's coffin is being flown into London today after lying in rest in Edinburgh.
The coffin will be flown from Edinburgh to RAF Northolt in a C-17 Globemaster before being received by a guard of honour and then taken to Buckingham Palace in a hearse.
The Queen’s coffin will stay overnight in the Bow Room at Buckingham Palace where the monarch dined with foreign royalty and met premier league footballers.
The Bow Room has played host to a number of high-profile figures, including King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, former US president George Bush, and representatives of the Arsenal football team.
A procession will then take place tomorrow which will see Queen Elizabeth's coffin taken from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, where it will lie in state until her funeral on Monday 19th September.
Rehearsals for this procession were seen outside Buckingham Palace early this morning.
Today, crowds have gathered outside St Giles' Cathedral to see the Queen's coffin leave and travel to Edinburgh Airport where a royal guard of honour will load it onto an aircraft.
St Giles' Cathedral hosted the coffin last night and allowed members of the public to process past the Queen's coffin until around 3pm today.
This follows a vigil at the cathedral last night in honour of Queen Elizabeth II which saw King Charles and Camilla, Queen Consort in attendance.
Queen Elizabeth II through the years:
Prince Albert and Lady Elizabeth with the new born Princess Elizabeth
Princess Elizabeth (now Queen Elizabeth II) was born on 21st April 1926 in Mayfair, London.
Queen Elizabeth II as a baby
In October 1926 this rare photo of the young Princess Elizabeth was released.
The Queen has been a fan of corgis from an early age
Princess Elizabeth walking a Corgi in London's Hyde Park.
Princesses Margaret and Elizabeth enjoyed acting when they were younger
Princesses Margaret and Elizabeth act in the pantomime of Cinderella at Windsor Castle.
Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret gave a radio broadcast
On 10th October 1940 Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret made a broadcast to the children of the Empire during World War II.
Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh on their wedding day
Princess Elizabeth, and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh on their wedding day, 20th November 1947.
Princess Elizabeth poses with her newborn Prince Charles
Prince Charles was Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh's first child, born on 14th November 1948.
The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
The newly-crowned Queen Elizabeth II waves to the crowd from the balcony at Buckingham Palace. Her children Prince Charles and Princess Anne stood with her. The coronation took place on 2nd June 1953.
Queen Elizabeth II presents the Jules Rimet trophy to Bobby Moore
Queen Elizabeth II smiles after presenting England Captain Bobby Moore with the Jules Rimet trophy, after England won the 1966 World Cup Final at Wembley Stadium.
Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her Silver Jubilee
Queen Elizabeth II is greeted by crowds in London during celebrations of her Silver Jubilee on 7th June 1977.
Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her Golden Jubilee
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh, ride along the Mall in an open top car on their way to watch a parade in celebration of her Golden Jubilee in 2002.
In 2007, the Queen became the UK longest reigning monarch
In December 2007, Queen Elizabeth became the longest-living British monarch, breaking her great-great-grandmother's (Queen Victoria) previous record.
Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her Diamond Jubilee
Queen Elizabeth II greets schoolchildren in Victoria Square during her Diamond Jubilee visit to Birmingham in 2012.
The Queen celebrated her 90th birthday in 2016
10,000 guests gathered on The Mall for a lunch to celebrate The Queen's Patronage of more than 600 charities and organisations.
The lunch was part of a weekend of celebrations marking Queen Elizabeth II's 90th birthday and 63-year reign.
Sapphire Jubilee celebrations in 2017
In 2017, the Queen became the first monarch to celebrate their Sapphire Jubilee. It was marked by a 62 round royal gun salute from the Gun Wharf outside the Tower of London with Tower Bridge.
Prince Philip dies aged 99
After more than 70 years of marriage together, Prince Philip sadly passed away in April 2021. The Queen attended his funeral at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, and had to social distance due to Covid-19 restrictions which were in place at the time.
Queen Elizabeth celebrates Platinum Jubilee
To celebrate her 70 years on the throne, Platinum Jubilee celebrations took place in June 2022. The celebrations included a Platinum Party at the Palace show on 4th June, festivals, as well as street parties over the long weekend. The celebration is extra special as Her Majesty was the longest reigning British monarch and is the only one to have ever celebrated a Platinum Jubilee.
Queen Elizabeth sadly passed away on September 8th 2022 in Balmoral Castle. Royal Family members such as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as well as Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex reportedly travelled to Balmoral after Queen was placed under medical supervision earlier that day. Her funeral is due to take place on September 19th.