Plane carrying coffin of Queen Elizabeth lands in London; to be received at Buckingham Palace by the King

London, Sep 13: A military transport plane carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II left landed in London on Tuesday for final night at Buckingham Palace.

Her son, King Charles III, also flew to London from Northern Ireland, where his visit drew a rare moment of unity from politicians in a region with a contested British and Irish identity that is deeply divided over the monarchy.

Over the past 24 hours, thousands of people filed silently past the coffin after it was brought to Edinburgh from Balmoral Estate, where she died Thursday at age 96, ending her 70-year reign.

United Kingdom | Queen Elizabeth IIs coffin arrived in London from Edinburgh, Scotland where it will be taken to Buckingham Palace

The State Funeral of the Queen will take place at Westminster Abbey on September 19

(Source: Reuters) pic.twitter.com/Hyt87ZV4WT

— ANI (@ANI) September 13, 2022

Charles left Belfast to receive his mother's coffin in London, where it will stay overnight at Buckingham Palace. The coffin will be taken on a horse-drawn gun carriage on Wednesday to the Houses of Parliament, where it will lie in state for four days before Monday's funeral.

Earlier, hundreds of people lined the street leading to Hillsborough Castle near Belfast, the royal family's official residence in Northern Ireland, in the latest outpouring of affection following the queen's death. The area in front of the gates to the castle was carpeted with hundreds of floral tributes.

On Monday night, Charles and siblings Anne, Andrew and Edward briefly stood vigil around their mother's flag-draped coffin at the cathedral as members of the public filed past.

The Royal Air Force C-17 Globemaster that will carry the coffin has been used to evacuate people from Afghanistan and to take humanitarian aid and weapons to Ukraine following Russia's invasion, U.K. Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston said.