Her Majesty The Queen

Her Majesty The Queen’s journey to Edinburgh will begin tomorrow, Sunday 11 September, with an official cortege from Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire to the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

Her Majesty’s coffin will leave Balmoral at 10am to be brought by road to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where it will remain before Lying at Rest on Monday at St Giles’ Cathedral.

To minimise disruption as the convoy makes the journey from Balmoral to Edinburgh and to allow those who wish to pay their respects to do so safely, there will be designated viewing locations along the route. These will be at Ballater, Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh (further details below). 

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said:

“Her Majesty’s death at Balmoral Castle means Scotland has lost one of its most dedicated and beloved servants. The grief we have seen across the world has been profound and deeply touching. It will be especially poignant to see Her Majesty’s coffin begin its journey from her Aberdeenshire home to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. 

“This is a chance for people to gather together publicly and begin to mark our country’s shared loss. We anticipate many, many people will be keen to pay their respects and we ask them to observe public safety messaging to ensure the safety of all.”

There will be temporary closures of laybys and access roads along the route the convoy will travel. Transport networks are likely to be busy and delays are expected along the route. Regular traffic reports will be provided via Traffic Scotland and travel bulletins on TV and radio.

For safety reasons, those wishing to leave floral tributes are asked to do so at designated areas along the route and mourners have been requested not to throw flowers at the convoy as it passes.

Background

Timings below are indicative and may be amended depending on the progress of the cortege.

Aberdeenshire event

After leaving Balmoral Castle the Royal cortege will pass along Deeside, reaching Ballater just after 10am for the Aberdeenshire tribute, attended by the Lord-Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire, as well as senior officers and councillors. 

It will then travel along the A93, through Aboyne, Banchory and Drumoak. People wishing to see the cortege are asked to stand where it is safe to do so at these locations and when it passes again through Aberdeenshire as it moves south on the A90. Settlements along the corridor will also be stewarded.

Aberdeen event

The cortege will follow the A93 and enter Aberdeen at around 11am, following North Deeside Road and then travelling through Cults. It will proceed along Great Western Road to its junction with Holburn Street, passing Duthie Park, South Anderson Drive.

The Lord Provost of Aberdeen, in his role as Lord-Lieutenant, will lead a tribute at Duthie Park at around 11:20am, joined by civic dignitaries from Aberdeen including Deputy Lieutenants, Council Leaders, other elected members and the council Chief Executive.

Members of the public are invited to pay their respects at the ceremony at Duthie Park, or at the south-western corner of the junction with Great Western Road, Willowbank Road and Holburn Street and on footpaths along the route. Disabled viewing will be at the junction of Allenvale Road and Great Southern Road.

Temporary road restrictions will be in place from 6am, the day before the event. Temporary toilets for public use will be located at the main event arena. 

Dundee event

The cortege will follow the A90 to Dundee, arriving at the boundary around 2pm, before proceeding west on the Kingsway to the Swallow roundabout.

Members of the public are being invited to pay their respects in standing areas along the A90 Forfar Road and Kingsway.

Civic dignitaries from across Tayside and Fife, including Lord-Lieutenants, Lord Provost, Provosts, Council Leaders, other elected members and council Chief Executives will pay their own respects from a dais prior to the cortege leaving the city.

There will be rolling road closures along the route and very limited additional parking. Stewards will guide members of the public to parking sites and safe standing areas.

Edinburgh event

All the pavements along the route in Edinburgh will be lined with barriers to allow the public to view from there. The Edinburgh route will stretch from north of the city to the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

Members of the public are asked to check Transport Scotland, Aberdeenshire Council, Aberdeen City Council, Dundee City Council and The City of Edinburgh Council for local route advice and further safety messaging before leaving home.