It was a moment to behold when the children of late queen Elizabeth decided to form a royal guards circle around her coffin.
The Telegraph reports that There were no tears and no wails. Just the sound of footsteps, then arms clasped and heads bowed.
King Charles III leads the vigil, as he and his siblings surround their mother’s coffin in a guard of honour
King Charles III leads the vigil, as he and his siblings surround their mother’s coffin in a guard of honour – Jane Barlow/AFP via Getty Images
For 10 minutes, as members of the public filed past the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, her four children stood vigil in the most solemn duty imaginable.
The King, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex had walked together up the aisle of St Giles’ Cathedral, in Edinburgh, in a well-practised step – honed over a lifetime of shared public life.
As they reached the coffin, they divided – each taking a side to honour their mother and show that she was not alone.
Choosing not to hold swords, they stood with hands clasped and eyes lowered, their backs to the coffin.
Members of the public who had queued for more than 12 hours to pay their respects filed past, occasionally doing a double take as they noticed the royals in their midst, with the Queen Consort and Countess of Wessex watching on from chairs.
It came at the end of an emotional day for the Royal family, in which the siblings walked behind their mother’s coffin through the streets of Edinburgh.
Reflecting the sense of duty so central to the Royal family’s life, they came together again at 7.40pm in silent, still tribute in a moving ceremony few in the public will have seen before in person.
The late Queen’s coffin was draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland with a wreath of Balmoral flowers and Crown of Scotland on top, guarded by the Royal Company of Archers.
The Princess Royal became the first woman to take part in such a vigil, honouring the mother to whom she was so close.
The late monarch will lie in rest in St Giles’ Cathedral until Tuesday at 5pm, with thousands of members of the public hoping to file past to pay their respects before she departs Scotland for the last time.
Once in London, Elizabeth II’s coffin will lie in state at Westminster Hall for four days, beginning at 5pm on Wednesday. On Monday, members of the public had already started forming a queue.
However, mourners in the capital have been warned they may have to wait up to 30 hours, with the continuously moving queue expected to stretch more than three miles from Westminster to Tower Bridge.
As well-wishers are set to flock to London ahead of the funeral on Monday. A special train timetable will include services running through the night. Officials have been finalising plans for extra rail services to be laid on to manage demand, with timetables to be updated by operators over the coming days.
The Government has advised London commuters to work from home, to prevent the city’s infrastructure being overwhelmed.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister said: “London will be busy. Some people may wish to change their working patterns accordingly.”
At 5pm on Tuesday, the late Queen’s coffin will begin the journey from Edinburgh to Buckingham Palace via RAF Northolt.
The Princess Royal will accompany her mother on the RAF flight, and then in a car to the palace, with mourners expected to line the route.
At the palace, the King and Queen will receive the coffin, joined by other members of the Royal family.
The Prince and Princess of Wales will see the coffin arriving, but will not appear in public. It is understood other grandchildren and their spouses, including the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, also hope to be there.
Later this week, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Sussex and their cousins are expected to join walking processions behind the late Queen’s coffin, as it moves from the palace to Westminster Hall for the lying in state.
During Monday’s ceremony.