12 September 2022

In Pictures: King addresses MPs and Lords as crowds gather for coffin procession

12 September 2022

The King promised “faithfully to follow” the example of his mother in a speech in Westminster Hall as both Houses of Parliament gathered to express their condolence to the new monarch.

The ceremony in London came as crowds began to gather in Edinburgh ahead of the procession of the Queen’s coffin from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles’ Cathedral.

King Charles III and the Queen Consort leave Clarence House for Westminster Hall (Gareth Fuller/PA) (PA Wire)
A person holds a copy of the order of events ahead of the arrival of the royal couple (Joe Giddens/PA) (PA Wire)
The King and Queen Consort pass the The Elizabeth Tower, also known as Big Ben, on their journey to Westminster Hall (Kirsty O’Connor/PA) (PA Wire)
The King’s Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard ahead of the arrival of the King (Markus Schreiber/PA) (PA Wire)

In a short response inside the hall after a formal expression of condolence from MPs and peers, the new King quoted Shakespeare as he spoke movingly of tributes and monuments to his mother inside the Palace of Westminster and spoke of feeling the “weight of history” as he stood inside the historic room.

Prime Minister Liz Truss and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer joined fellow party leaders and MPs and peers under the cavernous timber roof of the ancient building in central London (Joe Giddens/PA) (PA Wire)
The royal couple listens as Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle expresses condolences on behalf of MPs (Stefan Rousseau/PA) (PA Wire)
The ceremony ended with both Charles and the Queen Consort standing as the national anthem was played (Henry Nicholls/PA) (PA Wire)

On Monday afternoon, the Queen will be taken from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to nearby St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh where her family, and a congregation drawn from all areas of Scottish society, will attend a service of thanksgiving for her life.

Later in the evening, the King and other members of his family, likely his siblings, will hold a vigil at the cathedral in honour of the Queen.

People gather outside St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh ahead of the procession of Queen Elizabeth’s coffin from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to the cathedral (Peter Byrne/PA) (PA Wire)
Charles will lead some of the royals – expected to be the Duke of York, Earl of Wessex and the Princess Royal and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence – on foot, while the Queen Consort and other members of the monarchy follow in cars (Peter Byrne/PA) (PA Wire)
Members of the public will be able to view the coffin to pay their respects for 24 hours before it is taken to London to lie in state (Peter Byrne/PA) (PA Wire)
Police marksmen set up on the roof of the Scottish Parliament Building in Edinburgh ahead of the procession (Peter Byrne/PA) (PA Wire)
In London, people have begun to camp on The Mall ahead of the Queen’s coffin being taken from Buckingham Palace on Wednesday afternoon (James Manning/PA) (PA Wire)

Elsewhere, floral tributes are continuing to be laid at royal castles around the country and in parks.

Flowers left in St James’s Park, London (James Manning/PA) (PA Wire)
Floral tributes at Hillsborough Castle, Co Down (Jonathan McCambridge/PA) (PA Wire)

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