St. Giles' Cathedral

It was an extraordinary scene: All four of the Queen's children standing vigil over her coffin in the spiritual heart of her Scottish capital.

She perceived little difficulty in belonging to two churches and appreciating the strength of each.” Not since the Union of the Crowns in 1603, surely, have we seen such a quintessentially Caledonian succession as this one. And the subtle differences added to the unique atmosphere of the occasion. So we saw the Hereditary Bearer of the Royal Banner of Scotland (the Earl of Dundee) bearing his standard alongside the Saltire held by the Hereditary Bearer of the National Flag of Scotland (the Earl of Lauderdale). So, the King was in his field marshal’s ceremonial uniform, the Princess Royal was dressed as an Admiral of the Royal Navy and the Earl of Forfar was dressed as the Honorary Royal Colonel of the Wessex Yeomanry. The Hereditary Bearer of the Crown of Scotland, the Duke of Hamilton, processed in with a crown first made for King James IV of Scotland. Though he was the only one to have fought for his country, the Duke of York – or Earl of Inverness as he becomes in Scotland – was wearing morning dress. To ensure this was done with the appropriate dignity, a set of steps was brought forth for the 44-year-old duke. The most striking aspect of the royal procession was the choice of royal uniform – or, rather, lack of it in the case of the Duke of York. Long-remembered as the Vigil of the Princes, the same family tribute was repeated in honour of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 2002. And one of the greatest monarchs in our thousand-year history lies at rest beneath the oldest crown in the kingdom – the Crown of Scotland. This was the extraordinary scene last night as all four of the Queen’s children came to stand vigil over her coffin in the spiritual heart of her Scottish capital.

The Crown of Scotland sits atop the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II during a Service of Prayer and Reflection for her life at St Giles' Cathedral on September ...