Queen's coffin arrives in Edinburgh after journey from Balmoral

The cortege is now on the outskirts of Edinburgh.

Edinburgh's Royal Mile has been stripped of its regular chaotic beat of bagpipes, street performers and tour guides.

In its place is hushed chatter and an air of anticipation.

The best city centre vantage points are full; curious tourists and locals mingle along a seemingly endless line of metal barriers.

Bradley Harkins, visiting from Chicago, says: "There's a real sense that something major is happening. I was at the proclamation earlier and it sent shivers down my spine even though today was the first time I'd heard of any of this."

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People clap as the Queen's cortege makes its way through the city of Dundee earlier today.

The procession is now crossing the new Queensferry Crossing, linking Fife to Edinburgh.

The Queen visited the Forth Road Bridge in 2014 to mark its 50th anniversary and was back just three years later to cut the ribbon on its £1.35bn replacement.

Queen Elizabeth II said the Queensferry Crossing, the UK's tallest bridge, was a "breathtaking sight" and one of three "magnificent structures" across the Forth.

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The coffin has reached the most southerly point of Fife. It is about to pass Rosyth, where the UK's largest warship was officially named in the Queen's honour in June 2014.

She smashed a bottle of whisky against the side of the aircraft carrier at Rosyth dockyard.

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Victoria Cowie, 22, is from Shropshire and studies medicine at the University of St Andrews. She lives in Dundee and was in position hours before the cortege reaches the city.

“I wanted to come and see the procession because the Queen was an incredible person," Victoria says.

“I saw her once in person when she was getting off the train in Shropshire.

“I think when the Queen’s procession passes by, it will be a sombre moment. But I hope it’s also a celebration of her."

The cortege has passed Perth and will soon travel through Fife - a short hop from St Andrews where the Queen's grandson William went to university and met his future wife, Catherine.

She joined Prince Philip, her son Charles and his wife, Camilla, at the graduation ceremony in June 2005.

Here's a picture of that moment:

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As the cortege travels through Scotland, we're watching the first steps of a journey that will last more than a week, before culminating at the state funeral next Monday.

It's a ceremonial journey with its own narrative.

It's going from the homely setting of six Balmoral gamekeepers lifting her coffin, to the grandeur of Westminster Abbey in London, where the pews will be packed with world leaders.

When the Queen’s father George VI died in 1952 gamekeepers at Sandringham had formed a guard of honour for his coffin.

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Balmoral was one of the Queen’s favourite places, perhaps because it gave her more privacy. Prime ministers visiting there were said to have been surprised to see her doing the washing up after a meal.

She's left there now for the last time, with flowers picked from her Scottish estate on the coffin, including white heather, pine fir, phlox, dahlias and sweet peas, which were said to be one of her favourites.

Mourners are now gathered in towns along the route, or dotted along the roadside to watch the funeral cortege, with these small groups about to become much bigger crowds, as the journey reaches Edinburgh and then London.

Clouds drew in across Scotland’s sunniest city as the Queen Elizabeth made her final journey through Dundee.

As the road grew quiet, the crowd pulled closer to the road and the police cordon in anticipation of seeing the late Queen’s coffin.

Many hundreds fell quiet as the cortège passed through the Kingsway and the people of Dundee paid their final respects.

A scatter of applause broke out among some in the crowd as the Queen’s coffin pulled up in front of the council leaders of Tayside and Fife and left the city for the last time.

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At a ceremony in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar, Charles III has officially been proclaimed King.

Three cheers for His Majesty rang out across a city centre square as hundreds gathered to watch a military parade and Gibraltar’s Governor, Sir David Steel, read the proclamation from the balcony of his official residence.

Sir David, a retired senior Royal Navy officer, previously served as the Queen’s Aide-de-Camp. Speaking to the BBC, he recalled Her Majesty's "dignity, sense of duty, sense of humour and a love for what she did".

The Rock, as it's often called, lies at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula.

Spain has a longstanding claim over the territory but locals have twice, within living memory, voted overwhelmingly to remain British.

"This, to all intents and purposes, is just part of the United Kingdom separated by 1,000 miles," Sir David said.

Prince William has spoken to Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford by phone today, vowing to serve the Welsh people with "humility and great respect" in his new role as the Prince of Wales.

He said he and Catherine were honoured to have been asked to take on the new roles and would "spend the months and years ahead deepening their relationship with communities across Wales", a statement from Kensington Palace said.

Prince William said he and Catherine had a "deep affection for Wales", having made their first family home in Anglesey.

As Prince and Princess of Wales, the couple "want to do their part to support the aspirations of the Welsh people and to shine a spotlight on both the challenges and opportunities in front of them", the statement added.

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King Charles III has been officially proclaimed as the ruling monarch of Australia by Governor-General David Hurley in the capital Canberra.

The flags were raised to full-staff as the Australian Army Band Corps played God Save the King for the first time in 70 years.

In Sydney, where people gathered outside Parliament House for the state proclamation, there were mixed emotions.

“I grew up singing God Save the Queen and today was the first-time singing God Save The King," Litiana Rakarakatia Turner said, on the verge of tears.

"I’m so proud of Charles but my heart breaks for the Queen."

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"I'm a proud Australian, and a proud member of the Commonwealth. We’re just here to pay our respects," said Jenna Dicello, who was there with her partner and their two little girls.

And Henanita Harrop, who was with her 14-month-old daughter, said it was important to bring her to this once in a lifetime event.

"Hopefully when she grows older, she’ll be able to appreciate this wonderful moment, welcoming a new king and giving thanks for the service for her majesty,” Henanita said.

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People have been gathering along the route in Dundee, hoping to catch a glimpse of the funeral cortege and pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II.

Among them is Samanth Jordan and her 18-month-old son Charlie, who carried his Paddington Bear toy with him.

"We just wanted to pay our respects. We brought Paddington down because Charlie loves him. He was so excited to see the Queen with Paddington," Samantha says, recalling a video the Queen did with Paddington Bear to mark the Platinum Jubilee.

"It's such a sad time. We wanted to come down and be part of the Queen’s final journey. We needed to say goodbye."

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Girlguiding groups and Brownies from across Dundee have also been gathering to pay their respects.

"The Queen's our patron. She was a member as a child. She’s mentioned in our promise and has been an integral part of the organisation. She embodies what we stand for," Brownie leader Laura Morrison says.

"We make promises to help our community and the wider world. The Queen encouraged and showed this in her life."

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The Queen's funeral cortege is now entering Dundee.

During a trip to the city in 2016, the Queen met with apprentices at the Michelin tyre factory's training school and workshop.

There is now less than three hours left of the journey to Edinburgh.

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Whilst we're following the Queen's coffin's procession across eastern Scotland, crowds continue to flock to Buckingham Palace in London, where the King and Queen Consort arrived a short while earlier.

The King will meet with Commonwealth general secretary Patricia Scotland. Later, he will attend a reception with representatives from the 14 countries that still recognise the King as their head of state.

Aberdeenshire farmers paid tribute to the Queen by parking their tractors along the route to mimic a guard of honour as the cortege passed by.

Aerial footage showed dozens of the vehicles parked on either side of the road.

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Crowds of people old and young are gathering to watch the Queen's final journey through Dundee.

Some people arrived as early as 9am to save their space on the grassy banks of the Kingsway for the historic procession, which is due to arrive about after 14:00 BST.

By 13:00, hundreds were patiently awaiting the coffin cortege.

Families and friends ate picnics on camp chairs and spoke of their connection to the Queen as she made her final journey through Scotland.

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Jita Gandhi, from Nairobi in Kenya, is visiting Edinburgh and joined the crowds who were waiting to hear the proclamation at Edinburgh Castle.

Jita says she once went to the Treetops Hotel in Kenya, the place where Princess Elizabeth was staying in 1952 when she was declared Queen after the death of her father.

"We have good memories of the Queen in Kenya," she says. "We are so proud to be part of it. We would like to go to St Giles Cathedral to see the coffin, for sure, if we get a chance."

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Carmen Dumble and her children Abigail and Joshua, from Kelso in the Scottish Borders, have taken up a prime position at the top of the Lawnmarket in Edinburgh.

It will be a long three-and-a -half hour wait with two small children but they say it is worth it to pay tribute to the Queen.

Little Abigail is looking forward to seeing the procession. And dad has gone to buy some fish and chips to keep them going.

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As the Queen's coffin heads on its final journey, 500 miles away at the King's country residence at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire, autumnal mist still lingers.

It's the scene where locals have been pausing over the past few days to pay their respects to Elizabeth II.

Birdsong fills the air near the house that has been a country retreat for the new monarch for the past four decades.

A group of cyclists on the main road pass the scene but stop their morning ride and return to pay their respects.

The iron gates have become a focal point for locals to place bunches of flowers and hand-written notes since news of the Queen's death emerged.

The royal residence in Tetbury has been the family home to the King since the 1980s.

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As crowds gathered in Edinburgh for the formal proclamation of the new King, a protester was heard booing and calling for a republic, before being moved away by the police.

Those in the crowd had mixed opinions on the disturbance.

“It’s very disrespectful,” said Donald Maclaren. “There is a time and a place if you want to protest, but this isn’t it.”

Another person, who did not want to be named, said: “It’s a public event. There is always going to be someone doing something.”

Huge crowds have gathered in Edinburgh for the proclamation and also to see the procession of the Queen's coffin later.