King Charles III leads royal procession behind Queen’s coffin to St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh - in pictures

Looking straight ahead, King Charles was joined by the Princess Royal, Earl of Wessex and Duke of York as they followed the hearse carrying the Queen’s oak coffin.

It travelled from the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the sovereign’s official Edinburgh home, to St Giles Cathedral, where a service of thanksgiving for the life of the late monarch will be held before the public pay their respects.

Following in a car was the Queen Consort and the Countess of Wessex but the new Prince of Wales and his brother Harry did not take part in the procession.

The coffin was lifted out of the hearse and brought into the cathedral, with the King, the Queen Consort, the Princess Royal, her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of York, and the Earl and the Countess of Wessex walking behind.

As the coffin made its way through the cathedral the choir sang Thou Wilt Keep Him In Perfect Peace, Whose Mind Is Stayed On Thee.

The Queen’s coffin was placed on a wooden catafalque as the congregation continued to stand. The King, Queen Consort, and other members of the royal family then walked to their seats alongside the coffin.

Karen Matheson, accompanied by Catriona McKay on harp, sang Psalm 118: 17–21. after which Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, dressed in an all black outfit and black hat, then read the first lesson Ecclesiastes 3: 1–15.

The national anthem, God Save The King, was sang near the end of the service, before the mourners exited into the bright Edinburgh sunshine.

After 24 hours where people in Edinburgh can pay their respects, the Queen’s coffin will be flown to London tomorrow (Tuesday), before she lies in state at Westminster Hall.