Funeral will be ‘final and poignant goodbye’ to Queen, says Sturgeon

The Queen’s funeral will be a “final and poignant goodbye” to the late monarch, Nicola Sturgeon has said.

The First Minister is attending the ceremony in London on Monday, which is expected to be watched in every corner of the globe with a raft of world leaders also making the trip to Westminster Abbey. Ms Sturgeon described it as “one of the most momentous occasions in recent history”.

The service is the culmination of 10 days of events to commemorate the Queen’s life, the early portion of which took place north of the border, including her coffin lying in state in St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh.

“The state funeral for Her Majesty will be one of the most momentous occasions in recent history, with people from around the world watching and paying their respect,” the First Minister said.

“She was the great constant and it is an honour to represent Scotland at the service.”

She added: “As the Queen is laid to rest, it gives us a chance to reflect on the events of the past 10 days which have provided a sincere, solemn and fitting tribute to our longest-reigning monarch.

“We knew how important Scotland was to the Queen and, over recent days, we have been reminded just how much Her Majesty meant to the people of Scotland.

“I am sure the ceremonial events in Edinburgh will live long in our national memory and today we will all bid a final and poignant goodbye to a deeply respected and much loved monarch.”