Edinburgh prepares to say an emotional farewell to the Queen

LONDON – Alison Johnstone, Presiding Officer at Holyrood, will be welcoming the King and Queen Consort when they travel to Edinburgh this afternoon.

She will also hold a private audience with the King, alongside the First Minister.

Johnstone tells the BBC’s Today programme it’s by now “absolutely clear” the people of Scotland wish to “pay tribute” and join to “to reflect on the life of her Majesty”.

She says today’s events will be an opportunity to present the “heartfelt sympathies of the Scottish people”.

The Queen’s cortege will pass along Edinburgh’s cobbled Royal Mile this afternoon, which Johnstone says provides a “spectacular” but “intimate setting”.

It will be a “very emotional day indeed”, she says.