Tens of thousands lined the streets to pay their respects to Her Majesty the Queen as she made her final journey from Balmoral to Edinburgh.
For some the passing of her coffin was a sombre occasion for silent homage and prayers, while for others it was an opportunity to applaud a life of service and devotion to her nation and her people.
And there were others who simply wished to be there to witness a moment of history.
Whatever the individual motivations, what was clear from the hours that followed the Queen’s hearse passing through the gates of her beloved Balmoral for one last time, was the affection in which this most extraordinary of monarchs was held by her public.
That her death, at the grand old age of 96, still had the ability to shock and dumbfound and so profoundly sadden tells so much about the dependable, tireless, smart, giving and humble woman the Queen was in life.
As the car carrying Her Majesty’s coffin wended its way through Royal Deeside, Aberdeen and down through the Mearns, Angus and into Dundee, the love and respect in which the Queen was held was glaringly obvious.
As she was driven along the Kingsway – a route planned during the reign of her uncle Edward VII and completed while her father was on the throne – a sea of colour and ripples of applause greeted her.
Her passing over the Friarton Bridge at Perth and the Queensferry Crossing – a span she officially opened five years ago this month – and her arrival in Edinburgh provided images that will live long in the memory.
The focus of the pomp and ceremony now falls on the capital, before Her Majesty’s body is flown to London for her state funeral.
We hope those events pass as seamlessly as the long journey south from Balmoral.
A debt of gratitude is owed to all those – both officials and volunteers – who at short notice helped to organise and police such a rare and important event.
Nothing less than a perfect send-off from the north east – a place the Queen loved in life – would do.
That is exactly what she got.
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