Queen's coffin to travel from Balmoral to Edinburgh on Sunday

The public will be able to view the Royal hearse and pay their respects as it transports the Queen’s coffin from Balmoral to Edinburgh on Sunday.

The coffin will leave Balmoral at 10am before making its first stop in nearby Ballater at around 10.12am. 

It will then travel to Aberdeen, passingthe city's Duthie Park, before heading south to Dundee and then Edinburgh.

The cortege will travel from Balmoral on the A93 to Aberdeen, then North Deeside Road, Holburn Street and Great Southern Road past Duthie Park, and then to Dundee and Edinburgh via the A92 and the A90.

It is expected to arrive in Aberdeen around 11am, with members of the public invited to pay their respects at a ceremony at Great Southern Road by Duthie Park or on a footpath along the route.

The cortege will then follow the A90 to Dundee, arriving at the city 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 safe standing areas along the A90 Forfar Road and Kingsway.

The coffin will then travel to Edinburgh, arriving at Holyrood around 4pm. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and party leaders will gather at the Scottish Parliament from 3.30pm to observe the coffin passing. 

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.”

The public are expected to gather in large numbers. Those wishing to attend are being urged to do so safely, plan ahead and allow extra time, taking account of local and city centre road closures.

It has also been confirmed that the Queen's funeral state funeral will be held on Monday 19 September at Westminster Abbey.

Police Scotland Deputy Chief Constable Malcolm Graham said: “As the Chief Constable has said, the loss of Her Majesty The Queen is deeply felt and policing has an important role to play in the coming days to ensure ceremonial events take place safely and with dignity.

“Our priority is public safety and we are working with partners, including the UK and Scottish governments, as well as local authorities, to support the delivery of planned events.

“This includes supporting people and businesses to plan ahead for any potential disruption as a result of road closures, which are largely in the Royal Deeside and Edinburgh areas, and the management of crowds gathering to pay their respects.

“We understand that the public will want to show their respects to Her Majesty and we would urge them to do so safely.”

Traffic Scotland operator manager Stein Connelly added: “This is an event of unprecedented scale. Even the recent COP26 gathering in Glasgow cannot match the amount of preparation and planning that has gone into this operation.

“I am grateful to our partners for their efforts to date, however in order for the next few days to be successful we need the public to play their part by planning ahead, checking before they travel, and allowing extra time for journeys.

“Every effort will be made to minimise disruption to the travelling public, but significant delays are expected. Please plan ahead and use public transport where possible. If you absolutely have to travel by car, allow extra time and only park within designated areas.”

Meanwhile, the Scottish Church Leaders' Forum, which represents the Church of Scotland, Roman Catholic Church and a number of other Christian denominations, paid tribute to the Queen for her “faithful service of God”.

In a statement, it said:  “We join with the nation in offering our thanks to God for the life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and for her faithful service as Sovereign throughout these last 70 years.

“We give thanks for her evident Christian faith and recall that in her first Christmas broadcast as Queen in 1952 she asked us to pray for her ‘that God may give me wisdom and strength to carry out the solemn promises that I shall be making, and that I may faithfully serve Him and you, all the days of my life.’ In her faithful service of God and of the Nation she has surely fulfilled the promises that she made.”