Britain_Royals_38866 Britain's King Charles III arrives at St. Anne's Cathedral to attend a Service of Reflection for the life of Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth in Belfast, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, flew to Belfast from Edinburgh on Tuesday, the same day the queen’s coffin will be flown to London from Scotland. (Michael Cooper/PA via AP)
Michael Cooper/PA via AP
Britain_Royals_79529 Britain's King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, arrive at the St. Anne's Cathedral to attend a Service of Reflection for the life of Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth in Belfast, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, flew to Belfast from Edinburgh on Tuesday, the same day the queen’s coffin will be flown to London from Scotland. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia
Britain_Royals_42358 Britain's King Charles III waves to members of the public as he arrives at St. Anne's Cathedral to attend a Service of Reflection for the life of Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth in Belfast, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, flew to Belfast from Edinburgh on Tuesday, the same day the queen’s coffin will be flown to London from Scotland. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia
Britain_Royals_19754 Britain's King Charles III leaves Hillsborough Castle, Northern Ireland, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
AP Photo/Peter Morrison
Britain_Royals_78527 Britain's King Charles III waves to the public as he leaves after a visit to Hillsborough Castle, Northern Ireland, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
AP Photo/Peter Morrison
Britain_Royals_38000 People walks past Prince Charles Cinema, which displays a message reading 'Thank you for the last 70 years', in Soho, in London, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's longest reigning monarch, will lie in state at Westminster Palace from Wednesday.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali
Britain_Royals_68433 People take pictures to a shop windows that displays a portrait of the late Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, in London, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's longest reigning monarch, will lie in state at Westminster Palace from Wednesday.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali
Britain_Royals_28901 Britain's King Charles III, with the Queen Consort, listen to a message of condolence from Alex Maskey, Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, right, at Hillsborough Castle, Belfast, Tuesday Sept. 13, 2022, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, flew to Belfast from Edinburgh on Tuesday, the same day the queen’s coffin will be flown to London from Scotland. (Niall Carson/Pool via AP)
Niall Carson/Pool via AP
Britain_Royals_94706 People line a route on the Royal Mile as they wait for the hearse carrying Queen Elizabeth's coffin to depart from St Giles Cathedral en route to Edinburgh Airport in Edinburgh, Scotland, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. After lying in the cathedral most of Tuesday, the queen's coffin will be flown back to London and driven to her official London home, Buckingham Palace. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
AP Photo/Jon Super
Britain_Royals_63327 Police officers stand guard St. Giles Cathedral, in Edinburgh, Scotland, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, flew to Belfast from Edinburgh on Tuesday, the same day the queen’s coffin will be flown to London from Scotland. (Russell Cheyne/Pool Photo via AP)
Russell Cheyne/Pool Photo via AP
Britain_Royals_72643 Britain's King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, arrive at St. Anne's Cathedral to attend a Service of Reflection for the life of Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth in Belfast, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, flew to Belfast from Edinburgh on Tuesday, the same day the queen’s coffin will be flown to London from Scotland. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia
Britain_Royals_19547 People take photos with their mobile phones along route prior to the departure of the hearse carrying Queen Elizabeth's coffin from St Giles Cathedral to Edinburgh Airport in Edinburgh, Scotland, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. After lying in the cathedral most of Tuesday, the queen's coffin will be flown back to London and driven to her official London home, Buckingham Palace. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
AP Photo/Jon Super
Britain_Royals_89975 Security are placed on the balcony prior to the departure of the hearse carrying Queen Elizabeth's coffin from St Giles Cathedral en route to Edinburgh Airport in Edinburgh, Scotland, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. After lying in the cathedral most of Tuesday, the queen's coffin will be flown back to London and driven to her official London home, Buckingham Palace. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
AP Photo/Bernat Armangue
Britain_Royals_02570 A portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II is on display in a London shop, England, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's longest-reigning monarch and a rock of stability across much of a turbulent century, died Thursday Sept. 8, 2022, after 70 years on the throne. She was 96. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
AP Photo/Christophe Ena
Britain_Royals_54710 People queue to see the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II as she lies at rest at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. Britain's longest-reigning monarch who was a rock of stability across much of a turbulent century, died Sept. 8, after 70 years on the throne. She was 96. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
AP Photo/Jon Super
Britain_Royals_66263 An aeroplane carrying Britain's King Charles III and the Queen Consort departs Edinburgh Airport, Scotland, Tuesday Sept. 13, 2022, on their journey to Northern Ireland. King Charles III is flying to Northern Ireland on the latest leg of his tour of the nations that make up the United Kingdom as thousands of people have lined up through the night to pay their last respects to his mother’s coffin in Edinburgh. (Andrew Milligan/Pool via AP)
Andrew Milligan/Pool via AP
Britain_Royals_33803 People queue to see the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II as she lies at rest at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. Britain's longest-reigning monarch who was a rock of stability across much of a turbulent century, died Sept. 8, after 70 years on the throne. She was 96. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
AP Photo/Jon Super
Britain_Royals_77498 A man walk past a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II decorating a street near Buckingham Palace in London, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's longest-reigning monarch and a rock of stability across much of a turbulent century, died Thursday Sept. 8, 2022, after 70 years on the throne. She was 96. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
AP Photo/Felipe Dana
Britain_Royals_76419 Pensioners of the Royal Hospital Chelsea take part to a Drumhead Service of Remembrance for the late Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, in London, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali
Britain_Royals_24250 Pensioners of the Royal Hospital Chelsea take part to a Drumhead Service of Remembrance for the late Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, in London, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali
Britain_Royals_75752 The Kings Colour is lowered as the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II departs RAF Northolt, west London, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022, from where it will be taken to Buckingham Palace, London, to lie at rest overnight in the Bow Room. (Andrew Matthews/Pool Photo via AP)
Andrew Matthews/Pool Photo via AP
Britain_Royals_29757 The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II carried in a State Hearse is leaving RAF Northolt in London, to be taken to Buckingham Palace, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's longest-reigning monarch and a rock of stability across much of a turbulent century, died Thursday Sept. 8, 2022, after 70 years on the throne. She was 96. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, Pool)
AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, Pool
Britain_Royals_53881 Britain's King Charles III meets Alliance Party Leader Naomi Long as Sinn Fein Vice President Michelle O'Neill, second left, DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson, third right, and UUP leader Doug Beattie, right, look on at Hillsborough Castle, Belfast, Tuesday Sept. 13, 2022. King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, flew to Belfast from Edinburgh on Tuesday, the same day the queen’s coffin will be flown to London from Scotland. (Niall Carson/Pool via AP)
Niall Carson/Pool via AP
Britain_Royals_68968 Britain's King Charles III and Queen Consort look at floral tributes to late Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to Hillsborough Castle, Northern Ireland, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
AP Photo/Peter Morrison
Britain_Royals_17073 People queue to view the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II as she lies at rest at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. Britain's longest-reigning monarch who was a rock of stability across much of a turbulent century, died Sept. 8, after 70 years on the throne. She was 96. (AP Photo/Petr Josek)
AP Photo/Petr Josek
Britain_Royals_96883 Two women have a cup of tea as people queue outside the window to view the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II as she lies at rest at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. Britain's longest-reigning monarch who was a rock of stability across much of a turbulent century, died Sept. 8, after 70 years on the throne. She was 96. (AP Photo/Jon Super)
AP Photo/Jon Super
Britain_Royals_14076 People queue to view the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II as she lies at rest at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. Britain's longest-reigning monarch who was a rock of stability across much of a turbulent century, died Sept. 8, after 70 years on the throne. She was 96. (AP Photo/Petr Josek)
AP Photo/Petr Josek
Britain_Royals_78354 Large crowds gather to catch a glimpse of Britain's King Charles III and Queen Consort during a visit to Hillsborough Castle, Northern Ireland, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
AP Photo/Peter Morrison
Britain_Royals_26466 A man begs for alms next to a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in central London, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's longest-reigning monarch and a rock of stability across much of a turbulent century, died Thursday Sept. 8, 2022, after 70 years on the throne. She was 96. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti
Britain_Royals_01260 King Charles III waves to onlookers as he arrives at Belfast City Airport Matthew Hall, Ella Smith aged 10, and Lucas Watt aged 10 as they arrive at BelfastCity Airport as the King continues his tour of the four home nations in Northern Ireland, Tuesday Sept. 13, 2022. Charles and Camilla are visiting the four home nations of the UK in the run-up to the state funeral for Queen Elizabeth II on Monday. (Liam McBurney/pool via AP)
Liam McBurney/pool via AP
Britain_Royals_42729 King Charles III is greeted by Ella Smith aged 10, and Lucas Watt aged 10 as he arrives at Belfast City Airport as the King continues his tour of the four home nations in Northern Ireland, Tuesday Sept. 13, 2022. Charles and Camilla are visiting the four home nations of the UK in the run-up to the state funeral for Queen Elizabeth II on Monday. (Liam McBurney/pool via AP)
Liam McBurney/pool via AP
Britain_Royals_66550 King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort wave as they head towards Buckingham Palace in London, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. Britain's longest-reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II who was a rock of stability across much of a turbulent century, died Thursday Sept. 8, 2022, after 70 years on the throne. She was 96. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda
Britain_Royals_72370 People line the road waiting for a convoy carrying the coffin of late Queen Elizabeth II, heading towards Buckingham Palace in London, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. Britain's longest-reigning monarch who was a rock of stability across much of a turbulent century, died Thursday Sept. 8, 2022, after 70 years on the throne. She was 96. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru
APTOPIX_Britain_Royals_63721 The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II is carried to the RAF aircraft at Edinburgh Airport, Scotland, Tuesday Sept. 13, 2022, for the final journey from Scotland in a Royal Air Force plane to London. (Andrew Milligan/Pool via AP)
Andrew Milligan/Pool via AP
Britain_Royals_32766 A piper plays outside St. Giles Cathedral, in Edinburgh, Scotland, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, flew to Belfast from Edinburgh on Tuesday, the same day the queen’s coffin will be flown to London from Scotland. (Kai Pfaffenbach/Pool Photo via AP)
Kai Pfaffenbach/Pool Photo via AP
Britain_Royals_18760 Police line up in front of people waiting for the convoy carrying the coffin of late Queen Elizabeth II, as it heads towards Buckingham Palace in London, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. Britain's longest-reigning monarch who was a rock of stability across much of a turbulent century, died Thursday Sept. 8, 2022, after 70 years on the throne. She was 96. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda
Britain_Royals_24606 The Queen's Colour Squadron, RAF, stand by as the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II is taken away from the Royal Air Force Northolt airbase, London, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. The queen's coffin is flown back to RAF Northolt, an air force base in London, and driven to Buckingham Palace. (Ben Stansall, Pool Photo via AP)
Ben Stansall, Pool Photo via AP
Britain_Royals_78052 The hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II departs RAF Northolt, London, Tuesday Sept. 13, 2022, from where it will be taken to Buckingham Palace. (Andrew Matthews/Pool via AP)
Andrew Matthews/Pool via AP
Britain_Royals_91530 The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II is taken away in the Royal Hearse from the Royal Air Force Northolt airbase, London, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. The queen's coffin is flown back to RAF Northolt, an air force base in London, and driven to Buckingham Palace. (Ben Stansall, Pool Photo via AP)
Ben Stansall, Pool Photo via AP
Britain_Royals_67955 The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II is placed in the hearse from St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland, Tuesday Sept. 13, 2022. The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II has been carried out of St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh to begin her final journey through Scotland to a Royal Air Force plane that will carry her back to London. (Russell Cheyne/Pool via AP)
Russell Cheyne/Pool via AP
Britain_Royals_46636 People watch as the Queens cortege with the hearse carrying Queen Elizabeth's coffin departs from St Giles Cathedral en route to Edinburgh Airport in Edinburgh, Scotland, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. After lying in the cathedral most of Tuesday, the queen's coffin will be flown back to London and driven to her official London home, Buckingham Palace. (AP Photo/Petr Josek)
AP Photo/Petr Josek
Britain_Royals_06770 Pallbearers carry the coffin of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II outside St. Giles Cathedral, in Edinburgh, Scotland, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, flew to Belfast from Edinburgh on Tuesday, the same day the queen’s coffin will be flown to London from Scotland. (Carl Recine/Pool Photo via AP)
Carl Recine/Pool Photo via AP
Britain_Royals_03618 Pallbearers carry the coffin of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II outside St. Giles Cathedral, in Edinburgh, Scotland, Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, flew to Belfast from Edinburgh on Tuesday, the same day the queen’s coffin will be flown to London from Scotland. (Carl Recine/Pool Photo via AP)
Carl Recine/Pool Photo via AP
Britain_Royals_59746 The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II is placed in the hearse from St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland, Tuesday Sept. 13, 2022. The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II has been carried out of St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh to begin her final journey through Scotland to a Royal Air Force plane that will carry her back to London. (Russell Cheyne/Pool via AP)
Russell Cheyne/Pool via AP
Britain_Royals_28743 Britain's Princess Anne arrives at St Giles' Cathedral, in Edinburgh, Scotland, Tuesday Sept. 13, 2022. The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II has been carried out of St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh to begin her final journey through Scotland to a Royal Air Force plane that will carry her back to London. (Russell Cheyne/Pool via AP)
LONDON — The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II has arrived at Buckingham Palace in London after the 96-year-old monarch’s death in her beloved Scotland last week.
The military C-17 Globemaster carrying the monarch’s casket touched down at RAF Northolt, an air force base west of the city, about an hour after it left Edinburgh on Tuesday.
U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace and a military honor guard were among those greeting the coffin before it was loaded into a hearse. Motorists pulled over and stopped in a show of respect as the illuminated hearse traveled under police escort on a London highway.
Crowds gathered on London’s streets to cheer and weep as the motorcade proceeded to Buckingham Palace, where the country’s new King Charles III, the late queen’s oldest son, and other members of Elizabeth’s immediate family met the hearse at the ceremonial gates.
The coffin will spend a final night at the queen’s London home. A horse-drawn gun carriage is expected to take it Wednesday to the Houses of Parliament to lie in state for four days before a Monday funeral at Westminster Abbey.
The queen died Sept. 8 at Balmoral Castle in northern Scotland after 70 years on the throne.
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KEY DEVELOPMENTS:
— A piece of the queen: New souvenirs mark monarch’s death
— Anger over past, indifference meets queen’s death in India
— After the death of a renowned queen, life in London goes on
— Queen hailed in Scotland “as a constant in our lives”
— Loss of unifying queen could fray the bonds of fractious UK
— People wanting to pay final respects to queen face long wait, strict rules
— For Queen Elizabeth II, Balmoral estate was place to ‘be normal’
— Former British colonies are conflicted over Queen Elizabeth II’s legacy
— What’s next for the UK as Queen Elizabeth II laid to rest
— Find more AP coverage here: https://apnews.com/hub/queen-elizabeth-ii
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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS:
LONDON — Motorists pulled over and stopped in a show of respect as the hearse carrying Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin traveled under police escort on a London highway on the way to Buckingham Palace.
The 96-year-old monarch died last week in her beloved Scotland last week. A military C-17 Globemaster carrying her casket touched down at RAF Northolt, an air force base west of the city, about an hour after it left Edinburgh on Tuesday.
U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace and a military honor guard were among those greeting the coffin before it was loaded into the hearse. As night fell, a line of headlights on the opposite side of the highway illuminated the route to the palace.
Crowds have gathered along the route the motorcade took to Buckingham Palace, where the late queen’s oldest son and heir, who is now known as King Charles III, and other members of Elizabeth’s immediate family plan to meet the hearse on Tuesday night.
The queen died Sept. 8 at Balmoral Castle in northern Scotland after 70 years on the throne.
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LONDON — King Charles III has returned to London from Northern Ireland, where his visit in the wake of his mother’s death drew a rare moment of unity.
The king is to meet Queen Elizabeth II’s casket at Buckingham Palace, where it will spend the night at the queen’s London home.
Plans call for the casket to be taken Wednesday on a horse-drawn gun carriage to the Houses of Parliament, where the queen’s body will lie in state for four days before Monday’s funeral at Westminster Abbey.
Earlier Tuesday, the speaker of Northern Ireland’s Assembly delivered a message of condolence to Charles and paid tribute to the late queen. Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom but the region with a contested British and Irish identity is deeply divided over the monarchy.
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EDINBURGH, Scotland — The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II is on its way to London.
A bagpiper played as the coffin, draped with the royal standard, was carried out of St. Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh.
The queen’s daughter, Princess Anne, was in the hearse and was also to board a Royal Air Force plane taking the coffin from the Scottish capital’s airport.
Applause broke out among the crowds lining the Royal Mile as the hearse passed through the historic heart of Edinburgh.
Thousands of people filed silently past the coffin as it spent 24 hours in the cathedral after being brought to Edinburgh from the queen’s beloved Balmoral Estate. She died there Thursday at age 96, ending her 70-year reign.
King Charles III is returning from Belfast to London to receive his mother’s coffin, which will stay overnight at Buckingham Palace.
The coffin will be taken Wednesday to the Houses of Parliament, where it will lie in state for four days before Monday’s funeral.
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BELFAST, Northern Ireland — A crowd cheered King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, as they arrived at St. Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast as part of the new monarch’s first visit to Northern Ireland.
The sovereign received a similarly warm welcome earlier in the day at Hillsborough Castle, the royal residence in Northern Ireland.
A service of reflection at St. Anne’s Cathedral for the king’s late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, began with a trumpet fanfare by the band of the Royal Irish Regiment.
The leaders of Britain and Ireland joined politicians from Northern Ireland in the congregation. They included British Prime Minister Liz Truss, her Irish counterpart Micheal Martin and Irish President Michael D. Higgins.
Clergy praised the queen’s role in helping bring peace to Northern Ireland. Archbishop of Armagh John McDowell said the queen “walked the hard road of reconciliation.”
Services are being held in the capitals of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales ahead of the queen’s funeral at Westminster Abbey in London on Monday.
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BELFAST, Northern Ireland — The speaker of Northern Ireland’s Assembly has delivered a message of condolence to King Charles III, paying tribute to his late mother Queen Elizabeth II’s efforts to build peace in Ireland.
Alex Maskey said Tuesday the queen had not been “a distant observer” in Northern Ireland’s peace process. He said she showed “how individual acts of positive leadership can help break down barriers and encourage reconciliation.”
“She showed that a small and insignificant gesture – a visit, a handshake, crossing the street or speaking a few words of Irish – can make a huge difference in changing attitudes and building relationships,” he said.
Charles and his wife, Camilla, listened to Maskey’s speech before meeting with Northern Ireland’s party leaders, including Michelle O’Neill, vice president of the Irish republican party Sinn Féin.
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BELFAST, Northern Ireland — King Charles III has pledged to follow in the footsteps of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and work for peace in Northern Ireland.
Speaking Tuesday to Northern Ireland’s political leaders, including those from nationalist parties who want Northern Ireland to leave the United Kingdom and become part of the Republic of Ireland, the new monarch said he would draw on his mother’s “shining example” and seek the welfare of everyone in Northern Ireland.
The British monarchy draws mixed emotions in Northern Ireland, where Protestant unionists consider themselves British and Roman Catholic nationalists see themselves as Irish.
The political and religious divisions fueled three decades of violence known as “the Troubles,” involving paramilitary groups on both sides and U.K. security forces, in which 3,600 people died.
Irish nationalist Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly praised Queen Elizabeth II’s role in the peace process, in a message of condolence to King Charles III.
Alex Maskey, a member of Sinn Fein, said at the Belfast ceremony that the example of the queen had helped “break down barriers and encourage reconciliation” in Northern Ireland.
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NEW YORK — U.S. First Lady Jill Biden has shared her memories of Queen Elizabeth II, recalling when she and President Joe Biden met the British monarch at Windsor Castle in June 2021.
The visit came shortly after the queen’s husband, Prince Philip, had died after 73 years of marriage. Even though the Bidens had been instructed not to raise the subject of family, the queen began talking about just that.
“I think she just wanted to talk about her husband,” Jill Biden said in a taped interview broadcast Tuesday on NBC’s “Today.”
The queen poured tea for her visitors, showed her independence and also her curiosity, Jill Biden said.
“You know, she wanted to know all about American politics, what was happening, so she put us at ease,” she said.
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BELFAST, Northern Ireland — King Charles III has received a rapturous welcome at Hillsborough Castle, the royal residence in Northern Ireland, on his first visit as monarch.
The sovereign and Camilla, the Queen Consort, flew to Belfast from Edinburgh on Tuesday, the same day the queen’s coffin will be flown to London from Scotland.
Cheers and applause greeted the royal couple as they arrived at Hillsborough, with some in the crowd shouting “God save the king!” The royal couple stopped to chat with some of the well-wishers.
The royal standard was raised on the castle’s flagpole as the monarch came in, and a 21-gun salute rang out on the castle grounds.
King Charles is to visit an exhibition about his late mother’s long association with Northern Ireland.
He is also due to meet political leaders from Northern Ireland and hold a meeting with the British government’s secretary of state for Northern Ireland.
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LONDON — British officials say some 500 foreign dignitaries will attend Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral, but invitations have not been sent to the leaders of Russia, Belarus or Myanmar.
Officials said the funeral next Monday, to be held at London’s Westminster Abbey, will be the biggest international event Britain has hosted in decades.
U.S. President Joe Biden was among the first to announce that he would be flying in with his wife, Jill Biden. The leaders of most Commonwealth countries, including Australia, New Zealand and Canada, are also expected to attend.
France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Italy’s Sergio Mattarella, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro are among the presidents attending.
Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, as well as former Spanish monarch Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia, are also due to travel to London for the occasion.
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EDINBURGH, Scotland — King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, have left Edinburgh on their way to Belfast.
In Northern Ireland on Tuesday, they will visit 18th-century Hillsborough Castle, which is the official royal residence.
The royal couple are to meet with Northern Ireland Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris and leaders of local political parties.
They will then meet with leaders of Northern Ireland’s major faiths.
Afterward, a commemorative service will be held at St Anne’s cathedral in Belfast, where an 18th-century parish church once stood.
The royal couple fly to London later in the day.
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LONDON — Britain’s Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage, has penned a poem in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II.
The poem published Tuesday, “Floral Tribute,” is in the form of a double acrostic, which means that the first letter of each line spells out Elizabeth when taken together. It describes the coming of a September evening and references one of the queen’s favorite flowers, the lily of the valley.
“The country loaded its whole self into your slender hands / Hands that can rest, now, relieved of a century’s weight,” he wrote.
Armitage told the BBC Tuesday that he featured the queen’s first name because he wanted to take a personal approach.
He said the queen’s name was something “she probably rarely got to hear very much because everybody had to preface that with ceremonial nominals.”
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BELFAST, Northern Ireland — King Charles’ visit to Northern Ireland is a politically delicate trip for the new sovereign.
There are mixed feelings about the British monarchy in Northern Ireland, where there are two main communities: mostly Protestant unionists who consider themselves British and largely Roman Catholic nationalists who see themselves as Irish.
That divide fueled three decades of violence known as “the Troubles” involving paramilitary groups on both sides and U.K. security forces, in which 3,600 people died.
The royal family was touched personally by the violence: Lord Louis Mountbatten, a cousin of the queen and a much-loved mentor to Charles, was killed by an Irish Republican Army bomb in 1979.
A deep sectarian divide remains, a quarter century after Northern Ireland’s 1998 peace agreement.
But in a sign of how far Northern Ireland has come on the road to peace, representatives of Sinn Fein — the main Irish nationalist party, linked during the Troubles to the IRA — are attending commemorative events for the queen and meeting the king on Tuesday.
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EDINBURGH, Scotland — While King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, travel to Northern Ireland on Tuesday, the queen’s coffin will be flown to London.
St. Giles’s Cathedral in Edinburgh, where members of the public are paying their respects as the coffin lies at rest, is to close at 3 p.m. (1400 GMT).
Two hours later, a hearse will take the coffin by road to Edinburgh airport. Princess Anne will accompany the coffin on its flight to London.
From RAF Northolt, west of London, the coffin will be driven to Buckingham Palace where it will be met by members of the royal family.
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EDINBURGH, Scotland — King Charles is due to fly to Northern Ireland on Tuesday on the latest leg of his tour of the nations that make up the United Kingdom.
Thousands of people lined up through the night in Edinburgh to pay their last respects to his mother’s coffin at St. Giles’ Cathedral in the Scottish capital. Some people even walked past the coffin and then rejoined the end of the line to get a second view.
On Monday night, Charles and his siblings, Anne, Andrew and Edward, their heads bowed, briefly stood vigil around their mother’s flag-draped coffin as members of the public filed past.
Early Tuesday, a man wearing a suit adorned with medals stood silently, bowed his head and moved on. A woman dabbed away tears with a handkerchief. Another woman with two young children in their school uniforms walked slowly past the coffin.
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EDINBURGH, Scotland — King Charles III and his siblings have stood in silent vigil around their mother Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin in St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh.
Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward lowered their heads as they stood at four sides of the oak coffin on Monday evening. They stood for about 10 minutes alongside four members of the Royal Company of Archers, who stood guard armed with arrows and quivers.
As they performed the traditional vigil, a procession of members of the public lined up to view the queen’s coffin and filed past. Some bowed as they passed the king, while others walked solemnly by with their heads lowered.
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LONDON — Officials in charge of the park outside Buckingham Palace have told people to stop leaving marmalade sandwiches as a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II because of the “negative impact on the park’s wildlife.”
Some mourners have left the snacks alongside floral tributes at Buckingham Palace and neighboring Green Park. The sandwiches are a reference to a comedy sketch featuring the queen and an animated Paddington Bear filmed for the late monarch’s Platinum Jubilee earlier this year.
In the video, the queen said that like Paddington Bear she also favors marmalade sandwiches and hides them in her purse “for later.”
The Royal Parks organization said Monday people should not leave the snacks but could leave teddy bears and other items if they wished.