Balmoral

The late Queen Elizabeth II's coffin arrived in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh on Sunday after traveling six hours by car from Balmoral Castle, ...

A viral piece published in [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/mar/16/what-happens-when-queen-elizabeth-dies-london-bridge) in 2017 last year shed light on the specific plans to be put into motion if the queen were to die at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, the royal family’s Highlands holiday home where the queen would spend [several weeks each summer](https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a12001419/balmoral-castle-scotland/), a situation that [became reality](https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2022/09/08/queen-elizabeth-uks-longest-reigning-monarch-dead-at-96/?sh=52134ec129f3) last week. Sturgeon has argued that the U.K.’s decision to leave the European Union—which the majority of Scottish people voted against—could justify another independence referendum, following a 2014 vote in which 55% of Scottish voters cast a ballot against independence. [internally introduced](https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2022/09/08/operation-london-bridge-inside-plans-for-queen-elizabeths-death-and-funeral/?sh=365f8bcd713f) in the royal household in the 1960’s, laying out a tentative guide for how to proceed. A series of contingency plans for the queen’s death were reportedly first George’s Chapel in a crypt alongside her late father, King George VI, the Queen Mother and her sister, Princess Margaret (the queen’s late husband, Prince Philip, will reportedly Giles’ Cathedral followed by a viewing for the public to pay their respects that will last into the following afternoon. In May, a poll found one in three people in Scotland said the queen’s death would be a good time to [abolish the monarchy](https://www.britishfuture.org/jubilee-britain-after-a-decade-of-upheaval-where-are-we-going-now/), compared to only one-fourth of British people overall. [‘Operation London Bridge’: Inside Plans For Queen Elizabeth’s Death And Funeral](https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2022/09/08/operation-london-bridge-inside-plans-for-queen-elizabeths-death-and-funeral/?sh=365f8bcd713f) (Forbes) [Britain’s plan for when Queen Elizabeth II dies](https://www.politico.eu/article/queen-elizabeth-death-plan-britain-operation-london-bridge/) (Politico) ['London Bridge is down': the secret plan for the days after the Queen’s death](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/mar/16/what-happens-when-queen-elizabeth-dies-london-bridge) (The Guardian) There has been speculation that the death of the queen could serve as an impetus for independence. The new Prime Minister Liz Truss previously said she will “never ever let [our family be split up](https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/scottish-independence-liz-truss-says-she-will-never-ever-allow-uk-family-to-be-split-up-3808429),” when asked about Scotland leaving the U.K. Documents obtained by Politico last year showed that a plan titled “ [Operation Unicorn](https://www.politico.eu/article/queen-elizabeth-death-plan-britain-operation-london-bridge/)” would have gone into effect if the queen’s casket were to be taken from Scotland back to England by train, while the plan that appears to have been taken was known as “Operation Overstudy,” which dictates the coffin will be [flown to London](https://www.politico.eu/article/queen-elizabeth-death-plan-britain-operation-london-bridge/). [be moved](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2021/04/18/where-prince-philip-buried-queen-dies-george-vi-memorial-chapel/) from another vault in the church to join her).

The hearse drove past piles of flowers and other tributes as it led a seven-car cortege from Balmoral.

Earlier, proclamations were held in other parts of the Commonwealth — the group of former British Empire colonies — including Australia and New Zealand. Andrews University, where her grandson William, now the Prince of Wales, studied and met his future wife, Catherine. [queen died Thursday](https://apnews.com/article/queen-elizabeth-ii-remembrance-8013aa054b8d3dc0dbda80ebda2cea41), for a six-hour journey through Scottish towns to Holyroodhouse palace in Edinburgh.