Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Business
Martin Farrer

‘Final homecoming’: front pages as the Queen’s coffin arrives at Buckingham Palace

Queen Elizabeth II Buckingham Palace Daily Record Gran Scotsman Metro Sun
How Wednesday’s UK papers covered the return of the Queen’s coffin to Buckingham Palace.
How Wednesday’s UK papers covered the return of the Queen’s coffin to Buckingham Palace. Composite: The Mirror / The Guardian / The Daily Telegraph / The Sun / The Times / Metro / Daily Mail / Daily Record

There’s only one place to start for the papers as the Queen’s coffin was driven through the gates of Buckingham Palace in what was inevitably dubbed the “final homecoming”.

The front of Wednesday’s Mirror features a dramatic picture of the hearse sweeping towards the brightly lit palace as crowds formed a roadside guard of honour. “Led home by lights of love”, the headline says.

The Guardian’s front page pictures the hearse just moments later as it goes through the palace gates and also carries pointers to stories inside on anger about the sacking of some members of King Charles’s staff, and how the queue to see the Queen lying in state could stretch for five miles. It leads, however, on “Johnson’s junk food rules under threat as Truss targets read tape”.

The Telegraph’s headline is “The final homecoming”, and reports that the royal family will be “allowed to grieve in private” as the coffin rests overnight at the palace.

“Welcome home, ma’am” says the Sun, which is still using a regal purple in its masthead rather than the usual red one.

“Home to her family” says the Mail, while columnist Robert Hardman says that he’s been warning for years that “millions – tens of millions” of people will want to pay their respects to the Queen, making current plans for viewing her coffin “deeply inadequate”.

The Express goes with “Home … for one last time”.

“We’ll walk with Gran” – the Metro says William and Harry will follow the Queen’s coffin with King Charles as it is moved to Westminster.

The Times has “A last night at the palace” and shows the coffin being carried by Queen’s Colour Squadron troops at RAF Northolt, with an outside wrap of the scenes at the palace.

In the i it’s “The Queen returns home”.

Her final journey began, of course, in Scotland and the papers north of the border are saying farewell.

The Scotsman has a wraparound front cover with the scene at Edinburgh airport: “The final farewell”

The Daily Record reaches for the big guns – Scotland’s national bard, Robert Burns – by using the title of one of his poems, “Ae fond kiss”, to say goodbye to the monarch.

And the FT has a picture of the funeral rehearsals on its front but leads with “Businesses face delays to access £150bn energy support package”.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Why do cats make a weird face after smelling something?
"Stink face" seems silly to us, but for cats it's a serious way to gather social information through smell.
LiveScience
LiveScience
Farm group has a surprising alternative reason for surging egg prices
The price of a carton of eggs has jumped nearly 250% since January 2021.
The Street
The Street
How to watch pickleball online — stream PPA, APP, MLP Tour events from anywhere, March tournaments
Here's how to watch pickleball live streams of PPA, APP and MLP Tour events throughout the 2025 season, including free options and upcoming events.
Tom’s Guide
Tom’s Guide
And the winner is ... the rising generation of older female actors
With this year’s Oscars about to be handed out, Hollywood women of a certain age have never been more bankable or in demand. What’s behind the cultural shift?
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Three essential things to know about microplastics – and how to avoid them
Microplastics can’t be avoided completely, but even small steps in the right direction can help significantly
The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
We now know why Mars is so red
Mars became red before it lost its oceans, challenging previous assumptions about its geologic history
Salon
Salon
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play