Queen Elizabeth II dies: Queen’s coffin arrives at Buckingham Palace

BELFAST — Officials on Tuesday transported Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin to London from St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland, one day after King Charles III and other members of the royal family attended a thanksgiving service at the cathedral to remember the queen.

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Charles traveled to Northern Ireland on Tuesday to meet with political and religious leaders.

Update 3:50 p.m. EDT Sept. 13: Buckingham Palace officials confirmed the queen’s coffin arrived Tuesday at the palace.

Update 3:10 p.m. EDT Sept. 13: The hearse carrying Elizabeth’s body arrived Tuesday night at Buckingham Palace to cheers from the gathered mourners, The Guardian reported.

The hearse was being received by the king, Prince William, Prince Harry and other members of the royal family, according to BBC News.

Update 2:35 p.m. EDT Sept. 13: Elizabeth’s daughter, Princess Anne, said Tuesday that she felt “fortunate to share the last 24 hours of my dearest Mother’s life,” in a statement released by Buckingham Palace.

She thanked people for their sympathies and support.

“It has been an honour and a privilege to accompany her on her final journeys,” she said. “Witnessing the love and respect shown by so many on these journeys has been both humbling and uplifting.”

Update 2 p.m. EDT Sept. 13: The plane carrying Elizabeth’s coffin landed Tuesday afternoon at a Royal Air Force base outside of London after just over an hour in the air, BBC News reported.

Her coffin will next be taken to Buckingham Palace, where it will rest in the Bow Room before a trip to the Palace of Westminster, where the late queen will lie in state, according to The Guardian.

Update 1:20 p.m. EDT Sept. 13: King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla have returned to Buckingham Palace, where the queen’s coffin is expected to arrive later Tuesday, according to The Guardian.

Update 12:50 p.m. EDT Sept. 13: The queen’s coffin left Edinburgh on Tuesday evening for Buckingham Palace.

Officials said 33,000 people paid respects to the late queen as she laid in rest on Monday and Tuesday at St. Giles’ Cathedral.

Update 11:40 a.m. EDT Sept. 13: Charles and Queen Consort Camilla have left Belfast to return to London, where Elizabeth’s coffin is expected to arrive later Tuesday, according to The Guardian.

The king and queen consort earlier attended a thanksgiving service to celebrate Elizabeth’s life.

The queen’s coffin left St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Tuesday, where it had been for one day to allow the public to pay its respects.

Update 10:15 a.m. EDT Sept. 13: Charles and Queen Consort Camilla attended a thanksgiving service to remember the life of his mother at St. Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast on Tuesday.

Update 8:45 a.m. EDT Sept. 13: Charles remembered his mother’s life as “a life most faithfully dedicated to the duty to which she had been called” while speaking at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland on Tuesday.

“At the very beginning of her life of service, the queen made a pledge to dedicate herself to her country and her people, and to maintain the principles of constitutional government,” the king said said.

“This promise she kept with steadfast faith. With that shining example before me, and with God’s help, I take up my new duties resolved to seek the welfare of all the inhabitants of Northern Ireland.”

Earlier, Alex Maskey, speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, shared condolences for the king. He also remembered breadth of history that Elizabeth’s reign encompassed.

“Yesterday an assembly of Unionists, Republicans, nationalists met to pay tribute to the late queen,” he said. “When she first came to the throne, no one would have anticipated an assembly so diverse and inclusive.”

Update 7:52 a.m. EDT Sept. 13: King Charles III and wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, greeted throngs of well-wishers – including a corgi – before looking at tributes left outside Hillsborough Castle in memory of Queen Elizabeth II, according to ITV.

Update 6:57 a.m. EDT Sept. 13: The plane carrying King Charles III and wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, has landed in Belfast, according to The Associated Press.

Original report: According to the BBC and The New York Times, the 73-year-old monarch and his wife, Camilla, the Queen Consort, are flying from Edinburgh, Scotland, to Belfast on Tuesday morning. The pair will head to Hillsborough Castle, where the king is slated to meet with Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris and other political figures, the news outlets reported.

After Charles and Camilla speak with religious leaders, the royal couple will then travel to St. Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast for a “service of reflection and thanksgiving for the life of Queen Elizabeth,” according to the church’s website. The 96-year-old queen died Thursday at her Balmoral estate in Scotland.

Although Charles has visited Northern Ireland 40 times, this is his first trip there since becoming king, the Times reported.

The king and queen consort will return to London after the service, the news outlets reported. Meanwhile, Charles’ sister, Princess Anne, will travel with the queen’s coffin from Edinburgh to London, according to Buckingham Palace. Charles, Camilla and other royals will be present as the coffin arrives at the palace Tuesday afternoon, officials said.

– The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Photos: King Charles III visits Northern Ireland His Majesty King Charles III, accompanied by the Queen Consort, is greeted by members of the public including a woman with her pet corgi called Connie outside Hillsborough Castle on September 13, 2022, in Hillsborough, Northern Ireland. (Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

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Royal family attends vigil for Queen Elizabeth II The Crown of Scotland sits atop the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II during a Service of Prayer and Reflection for her life at St Giles' Cathedral on September 12, 2022 in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo Jane Barlow - WPA Pool/Getty Images) (WPA Pool/Getty Images)

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Crowds watch procession for Queen Elizabeth II's coffin in Scotland A young girl holds a Paddington bear and a Corgi dog stuffed toys while waiting to watch the Procession of Queen Elizabeth's coffin from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles Cathedral on the Royal Mile, on September 12, 2022 in Edinburgh, Scotland. King Charles III joins the procession accompanying Her Majesty The Queen's coffin from the Palace of Holyroodhouse along the Royal Mile to St Giles Cathedral. The King and The Queen Consort, accompanied by other Members of the Royal Family also attend a Service of Prayer and Reflection for the Life of The Queen where it lies in rest for 24 hours before being transferred by air to London. (Photo by Jon Super - WPA Pool/Getty Images) (WPA Pool/Getty Images)