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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Iona Young

Edinburgh Queen's procession - coffin route, road closures, traffic and weather

Today is a historic day in the capital with the final memorials and vigils for Her Majesty The Queen taking place in the Old Town.

Below is everything happening today in Edinburgh for the Queen's final service hour by hour, and all the essential information to keep in mind if heading to the Royal Mile to pay your respects.

His Majesty the King and Queen Consort Camilla will fly into the capital on the morning of Monday, September 12. It is understood a Ceremony of the Keys will then take place at Holyroodhouse.

King Charles III will take part in the ceremony, then there will be a solemn procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse – where the coffin remained overnight – to St Giles, scheduled to begin at 2.30pm.

READ MORE - Queen Elizabeth II arrives in Edinburgh as coffin greeted by thousands

The coffin and royal cortège will travel up the Royal Mile to St Giles’ Cathedral for a service expected to last about an hour. Crowds are expected to line the street as the procession passes, and a series of road closures in Scotland’s capital have already been announced.

Members of public will then be able to view the monarch’s coffin from around 5pm. Long queues are expected, and people are being asked to be prepared to wait hours. Photographs will not be allowed to be taken inside St Giles’, while security checks will also be carried out.

Senior members of the Royal Family including the King, are reported to hold continuous vigils at St Giles' from 7.20pm on Monday known as the Vigil of Princes.

The events are set to be truly historic according to Lord Lieutenant of Edinburgh, Robert Aldridge.

He said: “The news of Her Majesty The Queen’s passing has been met with great sadness around the world and has been greeted with an outpouring of emotion that reflects how highly regarded she was at home and abroad.

“I’m preparing to warmly welcome King Charles and royal family members and of course to express deepest sympathy on behalf of the city.

“The next few days will be truly historic for Edinburgh, with tens of thousands of people descending to pay their respects and millions more across the world tuning into the broadcast coverage."

The Scottish Government advised If you're heading out to attend ceremonial events today or in the coming days to plan your journey and check travel advice.

Remember to dress for the weather, bring water, prepare for long periods of standing, expect large crowds and to look out for each other.

The Met Office forecast for Monday in Edinburgh is as follows: “cloudy changing to sunny by lunchtime”. There will be highs of 18C and lows of 11C. From 5pm when the public viewing opens, it will be sunny and around 16C growing cooler throughout the rest of the evening.

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The Queen will lie at rest in St Giles’ for 24 hours before being flown back to London from Edinburgh Airport on Tuesday. She will then lie in state at Westminster Hall from Wednesday until the morning of her funeral on Monday, September 14.

Lothian Buses will be running a special all night service to assist mourners of the Queen at this difficult time. You can find a list of road closures in the city below and live traffic updates throughout the day can be found on Traffic Scotland.

Closed roads in Edinburgh:

Blackfriars Street

Castle Terrace

Chambers Street

Carrington Road at Crewe Road South

Carrington Road at East Fettes Avenue

Fettes Avenue

Queens Drive – east of the roundabout (Holyrood Gait entrance)

Holyrood Park entrance at Meadowbank Terrace

East Market Street at Junction with Jeffrey Street

New Street, south of the entrance to Waverley Car Park

Old Tollboth Wynd

Calton Road at Abbeyhill Crescent and Leith Street

Abbeyhill at Abbeyhill Crescent

Abbeyhill at abbey Lane

Abbey Mount at Regent Road

Canongate at St Mary Street / Jeffrey Street

High Street at George IV / The Mound

High Street at Cockburn Street

St Giles Street at North Bank Street

Johnston Terrace

Lawnmarket

Nicolson Street (northbound only) at West Nicholson Street

Niddry Street

Queen’s Drive – east of the roundabout (Holyrood Gait entrance)

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