The Queen at rest in Edinburgh's Palace of Holyroodhouse after six hour journey through Scotland

The Queen’s oak coffin left Balmoral just after 10am on Sunday morning, three days after the monarch’s death aged 96.

The coffin, topped with flowers picked from the estate, was followed throughout the entire six-and-a-half hour journey to Edinburgh by the Queen’s daughter, Princess Anne, who travelled in a car behind with her husband Timothy Laurence.

Thousands of members of the public came out to line the streets of villages, towns and cities as the procession made its slow journey to the Scottish capital.

Some clapped and threw flowers at the hearse, whilst others filmed the procession on their phones, but many simply stood in silence.

The route had been specially chosen under Operation Unicorn - the long laid out plans for the Queen’s death should it occur in Scotland - to give as many people as possible the opportunity to say their farewells to the monarch.

The hearse made its way through the village of Balleter a short distance from her Scottish estate, before it was driven through Dundee and Perth.

By the time the procession made its way to Edinburgh, crowds were ten deep.

James Kinlock was one of those lining the streets and said he felt an “enormous pull” to watch the procession through the Scottish capital.

“It’s a real loss to the nation, I felt it far more personally than I ever thought I would. I just felt compelled to come, utterly compelled to come,” the 55-year-old said.

“I didn’t expect to feel compelled to come but I did and I’m very glad I came,” he added.

At the junction of North Bridge and the High Street, people stood on the steps of Tron Kirk and sat on windowsills of nearby shops to catch a glimpse of the procession.

As the Queen’s coffin passed the Scottish Parliament, Scotland’s political leaders assembled to pay their respects.First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, Scottish Green co-leader Lorna Slater and Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton stood on the pavement outside Holyrood as the hearse slowed.

Some 50 members of staff at the Palace of Holyroodhouse greeted the procession. The Duke of York and Earl and Countess of Wessex were there to watch as their mother’s coffin was borne inside the Palace.

The Queen’s children, along with her daughter-in-law Sophie, Countess of Wessex watched as soldiers from the Royal Regiment of Scotland carried the coffin into the Palace.

In a touching gesture, deference to the monarch was still observed, with the royal women curtseying and the men bowing their heads.

The Queen was known to love Scotland and spent her summer holidays at Balmoral each year, where she was often accompanied by family, friends, and other invited guests.

Today, the coffin will be taken to lie in state at Edinburgh’s St Giles’ Cathedral where the public will be able to file past in respect.

Nicola Sturgeon, paid tribute to the Queen when her final journey through the Scottish Highlands began just after 10am.

Ms Sturgeon said in a tweet: “A sad and poignant moment as Her Majesty, The Queen leaves her beloved Balmoral for the final time.

“Today, as she makes her journey to Edinburgh, Scotland will pay tribute to an extraordinary woman.”

Sir Keir Starmer said the footage of the Queen’s coffin leaving Balmoral was “incredibly moving”.

“I saw the images of the coffin leaving Balmoral this morning,” he said in a pooled clip for broadcasters in his north London constituency.

“I thought it was incredibly moving to see everybody who could come to the side of the road to pay their respects. It was an incredible, incredible moment. It reflects what the nation is feeling at the moment.”

The Queen’s funeral will take place on Monday September 19 at Westminster Abbey, before she is interred in St George’s Chapel, Windsor.