Congregation Celebrates The Queen's 'Deep Links' With Scottish People

The people of Scotland - from former prime ministers to benefit claimants - said an emotional goodbye to their Queen yesterday as her coffin was set at rest in the "parish church of Edinburgh" where she was first given the Scottish crown 69 years ago.

- Robert Booth Libby Brooks

Psalms the Queen used to sing in Crathie kirk on the Balmoral estate were set to soaring organ music as hundreds of dignitaries attended a service of thanksgiving for her life at St Giles' Cathedral.

Thousands of members of what the minister of St Giles, the Rev Calum MacLeod, described as "a sorrowing nation" - with backpacks filled with sandwiches, and foldable chairs -queued to file past the coffin.

Among those paying their respects were Gordon Brown, who stood with jaw fixed as King Charles and his siblings walked behind their mother's coffin as it was carefully inched on to a catafalque to lay at rest for 24 hours.

Also planning to say goodbye was Gary Birsdall, recently made homeless, who joined the snaking queue of people waiting to walk past the coffin to simply "say thank you". And there was Simon Cook, who had brought his three teenage children from Livingston to witness what his 18-year-old son, Conor, said was "a bit of history".

"She was our Queen but she was also part of something so much bigger," Cook said. "This is a massive shift for the country and the world." At 3.15pm, the Queen's coffin, draped in the royal standard for Scotland, was bourne slowly into the chancel by eight military personnel and lifted into place between a forest of sandstone columns.

It was the start of a process which the Duke of York had been heard describing to a member of the public at Balmoral on Saturday as "handing her on" from the family.

As King Charles, Camilla, the Queen Consort, and other members of the party looked on, the Scottish crown, which dates to 1540, was placed gently on top of the coffin.

Alongside it was a wreath of white roses, chrysanthemums, dried white lavender from Balmoral, and rosemary.