The Queen's Coffin Has Arrived at Buckingham Palace for the Last Time

A truly historic moment.

Queen Elizabeth II's Coffin Conveyed To Buckingham Palace
(Image credit: Photo by Bloomberg / Getty)

The Queen's final journey will soon be coming to a close.

After she passed away at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, Queen Elizabeth II's coffin was transported south to Edinburgh, where it was brought to the Palace of Holyroodhouse (her residence in the Scottish capital), followed by St. Giles' Cathedral.

From there, the coffin transporting Her Majesty was flown to London, where it was brought to her longtime home at Buckingham Palace, which the late monarch visits for the last time.

At Buckingham, after driving past crowds of well wishers, the Queen was received by her closest family members on Tuesday evening, which included Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

"As Her Majesty The Queen’s coffin lands at Northolt it can be revealed that it will be received at Buckingham Palace by The King, The Queen Consort, her children and grandchildren - as well as their spouses - in addition to her niece and nephew, Lady Sarah Chatto and Earl Snowdon," royal reporter Rebecca English wrote on Twitter. Lady Sarah and David, Earl Snowdon, are the children of the late Princess Margaret.

"This deeply personal moment, the first time some of her family will have seen her coffin in person, will be private with no images released," English continued.

Instagram account @history_royals shared photos of King Charles and Queen Camilla, Prince William and Princess Catherine, and Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan arriving at the Palace in separate cars and all dressed in mourning.

On Twitter, English added, "Princess Anne, of course, has accompanied her mother’s coffin from Balmoral to Edinburgh, and down to London. In a deeply moving statement released by Buckingham Palace tonight she speaks of how she was 'fortunate to share the last 24 hours of my dearest Mother’s life.'"

See more

English mirrored the feelings of many royal supporters when she concluded, "It feel [sic] so real now as Her Majesty The Queen returns for the final time to her official London residence, Buckingham Palace."

From Buckingham Palace, the Queen's coffin will be transported today, Sept. 14, to Westminster Hall in London, with Princes William and Harry walking together behind it, as reported by the BBC.

Royal author Omid Scobie tweeted "Details on Wednesday’s procession to Westminster Hall, which will see King Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, Prince William, Prince Harry join on foot. Camilla, Queen Consort, Countess Sophie, Princess Kate and Duchess Meghan travel by car."

He shared a timetable of the procession, short service, and the Queen's "lying in state."

See more

Lying in state means that the Queen's coffin will remain at Westminster Hall from 5 p.m. U.K. time on Sept. 14th until 6:30 a.m. on the day of her funeral, Monday, Sept. 19. There, members of the public will be able to pay their respects to the late monarch 24 hours a day, the BBC reports.

The Royal Family caused controversy when they decided that the disgraced Prince Andrew would be allowed to wear military uniform at the final vigil in Westminster Hall, while Prince Harry would not be.

The Duke of Sussex, however, wished to shut down the noise around this. A spokesperson for him said, "[Prince Harry] will wear a morning suit throughout events honouring his grandmother. His decade of military service is not determined by the uniform he wears and we respectfully ask that focus remain on the life and legacy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II."

See more
Iris Goldsztajn
Morning Editor

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Bustle and Shape. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.