Queen Elizabeth II's coffin arrived in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Sunday after a six-hour drive from the Balmoral Castle and ahead of her funeral.

The cortege was on its first day of an eight-day journey before the Queen is put to rest at Windsor Castle, in the English county of Berkshire.

A crowd of thousands was lined up along central Edinburgh's Royal Mile to watch the queen's hearse enter the city. The procession went through Aberdeen and Dundee before reaching the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.

The coffin arrived at the official residence of the British monarch, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where she will stay in the Throne Room overnight. It arrived at about 4:20 p.m. local time.

On Monday, King Charles and other members of the Royal Family will hold a vigil at St Giles' Cathedral. The queen's body will then be flown to London on Tuesday.

Queen Elizabeth died on Thursday at age 96 at Balmoral, her Scottish country estate. Her funeral is scheduled for Monday, Sept.19, in London. The queen's body will be buried alongside her husband and royal predecessors in the St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.

U.S. President Joe Biden and the first lady Jill Biden have accepted an invitation to attend the funeral, the White House said on Friday.