The Surprising Royal Who Will Be Accompanying The Queen's Coffin On Her Journey Home

When Queen Elizabeth's health deteriorated, King Charles III and the Princess Royal were said to be the only two of the queen's four children to be with their mother when she died. Since the monarch passed at Balmoral, Operation Unicorn went into effect. This plan provided specific details concerning how and where the queen's coffin would travel on its way back to London, per The Scotsman.

After time for Balmoral staff to mourn, the queen's coffin will travel to Edinburgh on September 10, where it will remain at the Palace of Holyroodhouse until Tuesday. Next, the coffin will travel by plane to London, per the BBC. While it was originally supposed to travel by train, The Yorkshire Post believes the change was made due to the costs and security difficulties of a long rail journey.

According to Royal Central, King Charles and other members of the royal family will attend a Monday memorial service in Edinburgh. Afterwards, Princess Anne will accompany the coffin to London.  

Body language expert Judi James previously spoke to Express about the close relationship between the queen and her only daughter. "[Anne] is showing so many signs of empathy and warm friendship with her mother," James remarked. "The two women share a love of horses, as well as their work ethic, and both are known for their stoic personalities."

Elizabeth and Anne also bonded over humor. For example, when the queen's knife got stuck in a fruit cake at an event, the two women thought it was hilarious, Hello! Magazine noted.