Queen's coffin begins journey back for funeral

Late monarch will lie in state for four days allowing the public to pay tribute

Preparations for the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II have begun after her body was removed from Balmoral Castle, where she died last Thursday, and taken to Edinburgh.

Crowds lined the route of the royal procession, which went via the cities of Aberdeen and Dundee, on its way to the British monarch's official residence in Scotland, Holyroodhouse, where the body lay overnight in the throne room.

On Monday, a service will be held at the city's St Giles' Cathedral, where her body will rest for 24 hours, allowing the public to pay their respects, before being flown back to London on Tuesday.

There, it will lie in state for four days, in the grand hall of the Palace of Westminster, the oldest part of the building that houses the British parliament, before the funeral takes place on Sept 19, which will be a public holiday, at Westminster Abbey. This is where the queen married Prince Philip in 1947, and where she was crowned in 1953.

The last member of the royal family whose body lay in state in the hall was the Queen Mother in 2002, when more than 200,000 mourners queued to see her coffin.

King Charles was formally declared as the new monarch on Saturday, although his coronation, where he wears the crown for the first time, will not take place for some time.

In 1936, Edward VIII became king in January and abdicated in December the same year without ever having been crowned. The queen was not crowned until June 1953, 17 months after she succeeded her late father, George VI, on the throne.

After the funeral service, the royal coffin will make its way to Windsor Castle, around 43 km west of London, to be laid to rest in St George's Chapel.

The British monarch is also the head of state, although largely in a ceremonial fashion, of 14 other territories outside the United Kingdom, including Australia and New Zealand.

Acknowledging King Charles as the country's new sovereign, New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said he had "consistently demonstrated his deep care for our nation. This relationship is deeply valued by our people. I have no doubt it will deepen."

In Australia, the British monarch's representative, Governor-General David Hurley, proclaimed the new king at Parliament House in Canberra, and it was announced that a public holiday to mark the passing of the queen will take place on Sept 22, the day after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is due to return from the funeral.

Previously, Albanese has spoken of his support for a second referendum on Australia becoming a republic, after the first vote, in 1999, saw 54 percent of voters reject the suggestion.

But having only taken office in May this year, he said any such vote would be delayed until he achieved a second term in power.

"The bigger questions about our constitution are not ones for this current period," he said.

"This is a period in which we are sharing the grief that so many Australians are feeling at the moment, showing our deep respect and admiration for the contribution of the Queen to Australia."