Staff at the Balmoral Estate have been paying their last respects to Queen Elizabeth.
The monarch died peacefully at Balmoral on Thursday (08.09.22) and a senior palace official has described a “scene of quiet dignity” at the castle in Scotland, where the queen often spent her summers.
The queen’s body currently lies in an oak coffin in the ballroom and it’s been covered with the Royal Standard, with a wreath placed on top.
A palace official told the BBC: “This enables the Balmoral Estate Staff, many of whom have spent a good deal of their lives in Royal Service there, to pay their last respects.”
The queen’s state funeral will be held on September 19 at Westminster Abbey.
Members of the royal family will be joined at the service by senior UK politicians and former prime ministers. Heads of state from across the world will also attend the service at the church in London.
Buckingham Palace has confirmed that the queen’s body will lay in state for four days before her funeral.
Meanwhile, Prince William has pledged to honour the queen by supporting King Charles “in every way [he] can”.
The Prince of Wales issued a touching tribute to the queen, praising her for “providing an example of service and dignity in public life that was from a different age”.
He said: “I thank her for the kindness she showed my family and me. And I thank her on behalf of my generation for providing an example of service and dignity in public life that was from a different age, but always relevant to us all.
“My grandmother famously said that grief was the price we pay for love. All of the sadness we will feel in the coming weeks will be testament to the love we felt for our extraordinary Queen. I will honour her memory by supporting my father, The King, in every way I can.”