Edinburgh Castle gun salute as Scotland mourns Queen's death

A gun salute has been fired from the ramparts of Edinburgh Castle as the country mourns the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

The ceremony saw 96 shots - one for every year of the Queen's life - fired at 10 second intervals by the Royal Artillery.

Similar salutes were also fired around the UK and in overseas territories at 13:00 BST.

Earlier in the day, bells rang out from several churches across the country.

These included Glenmuick Church in Ballater, near Balmoral, where Rev David Barr said the Queen had been a "neighbour and a big part of the community", adding: "She was our anchor".

Large swathes of central Edinburgh have been cordoned off ahead of ceremonial events planned for when the Queen's coffin arrives in the city.

It meant vantage points for watching the 96-gun salute were in short supply, with hundreds of people gathering in Princes Street Gardens below the castle.

Some onlookers were in tears as the salute took place on the ramparts above them, with a spontaneous round of applause breaking out among the crowd as it ended.

Similar gun salutes were held to mark the deaths of Queen Victoria in 1901 and Winston Churchill in 1965.

All professional football matches have been cancelled in Scotland over the weekend as a mark of respect following similar decisions in England and Northern Ireland.

Other sporting events including a planned horse race meeting at Musselburgh have also been called off.

Books of Condolence have been opened around Scotland for people to sign, including one at the Scottish Parliament.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon signed a book at Bute House in Edinburgh.

She wrote: "In so many ways, and for so many of us, she was Elizabeth, Queen of Scots.

"Personally, I will cherish and value for the rest of my life the words of wisdom and counsel I was so privileged to receive during the audiences she graciously afforded."

The new monarch, King Charles III, has been seen in public for the first time since his mother's death was announced on Thursday evening.

The King left Balmoral in the back seat of a car at about 11:15 on Friday with Camilla, his new Queen Consort, in the front passenger seat.

He was taken to Aberdeen Airport to take a flight to London, where he is expected to address the nation for the first time as sovereign at 18:00 before being proclaimed by the Accession Council at St James's Palace on Saturday morning.

The Queen's other children - the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex - had also travelled to Balmoral, as did other senior royals including the then-Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex.

The Duke of Sussex was seen leaving the estate on Friday morning, but others will have duties to perform in Scotland as senior royals, ahead of the Queen's coffin beginning its journey to London for her funeral.

Her Majesty will lie at Balmoral in order for staff to pay their respects, before being taken in the coming days on a 176-mile journey to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.

The Palace, which stands at the end of the city's Royal Mile and is opposite the Scottish Parliament, is the official residence of the monarch in Scotland.

Her Majesty's coffin will then be taken in a procession from Holyroodhouse to St Giles' Cathedral, where it will lie in rest for 24 hours.

Significant disruption is expected in Edinburgh while the ceremonial events are ongoing, with temporary road closures coming into force and people being advised to avoid non-essential travel through the city centre and the Old Town in particular.

The coffin will travel to London, where she will rest at Buckingham Palace before lying in state at Westminster Hall ahead of her funeral, which is expected to take place within the next fortnight.