Thousands of people in Edinburgh to pay their respects to the remains of Queen Elizabeth II - who died at the age of 96 on 8 September in the Scottish residence of Balmoral - on display in St Giles' Cathedral.

Last night, the four children of the British sovereign had started the vigil around the bier: King Charles and the princes Anna, Edoardo and Andrea.

The coffin then left the cathedral and was loaded onto a special flight to London , accompanied on board by Princess Anne. He arrived at the Northolt RAF base, and then continued his journey with a road procession to Buckingham Palace. A river of people followed the procession, the arrival at the Palace was greeted by a very long applause.

CARLO IN NORTHERN IRELAND - Meanwhile, Charles III is today in Northern Ireland , a very delicate stage for his tour outside the internal borders of England. He has been there for 40 times, today for the first time as head of state to receive condolences and exchange commitments of loyalty with popular representatives.

Welcomed with great warmth by crowds of people in Belfast, he pledged to the authorities and representatives of all parties in Northern Ireland to follow in his mother's footsteps in an effort to foster reconciliation and a better future in the nation. historically more turbulent than the UK.

The new ruler recalled at Hillsborough Castle how Queen Elizabeth "prayed" and contributed during her entire reign to " heal the wounds " of Northern Ireland: aware of the "pain" experienced by so many in this land, which was strongly tied and at the same time faithful to the pillar of a "constitutional system" as a guarantee of all the nations of the Kingdom.

Earlier speaker Alex Maskey - in his distinctive Irish accent - had praised Queen Elizabeth "not as a distant observer of the pain and tragedy" of the Northern Irish, but as an example of "positive leadership" capable of "helping to bring down the barriers and to encourage reconciliation ".

RUSSIA EXCLUDED - Meanwhile, as expected, Russia has been excluded at the behest of the British government from the invitations to the solemn state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II scheduled in London on Monday 19 September.

This was reported by informed sources cited by the BBC . Moscow pays a pledge for the invasion of Ukraine, like its ally Belarus and Burma, in turn sanctioned after the close following the last military coup. Instead, Iran is invited, but only at the level of ambassador. The funeral is expected to be attended by about 500 foreign dignitaries, including heads of states or governments.

(Unioneonline / D)

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