14 September 2022

How many miles has the King travelled in his first week on the throne?

14 September 2022

King Charles III has travelled more than 1,500 miles around the UK in his first week on the throne.

Charles has spent the past week carrying out engagements and a tour of the home nations since the death of the Queen, whose coffin has now travelled around 600 miles.

Here are some of the key numbers from the past week.

Charles and Camilla walk across the forecourt of Buckingham Palace (Yui Mok/PA) (PA Wire)

How many miles has King Charles travelled since the Queen’s death?

In total, Charles is estimated to have travelled around 1,550 miles since dashing to the Queen’s bedside in Balmoral last Thursday.

Broadcaster and gardener Alan Titchmarsh, who is a friend of the King, said he had spent Wednesday working and hosting guests at Dumfries House in Cumnock, East Ayrshire.

Charles travelled 150 miles from Dumfries House to Balmoral, the Queen’s Aberdeenshire home, on Thursday.

Charles at Aberdeen Airport (Aaron Chown/PA) (PA Wire)

After the Queen’s death was announced that afternoon, Charles stayed at Balmoral overnight before making the 45-mile journey to Aberdeen Airport.

Charles and Camilla, his Queen Consort, then flew 400 miles to RAF Northolt, west London, landing at around 13.34pm on Friday – his first time on English soil since becoming monarch.

Charles was given a rapturous welcome after travelling 14 miles to Buckingham Palace and stepping from his car to greet well-wishers gathered outside the gates.

Later that day, he delivered a historic televised address to the nation and had a first audience with new Prime Minister Liz Truss.

Charles is greeted by well-wishers during a walkabout to view tributes left outside Buckingham Palace (Yui Mok/PA( (PA Wire)

Charles spent the weekend in London, where he was formally declared head of state during a meeting of the Accession Council, had an audience with the Cabinet and shook hands with members of the public as he returned to his official London residence, Clarence House.

On Monday he made an address to Parliament before flying 400 miles to a blustery but bright Edinburgh Airport to continue his tour of the home nations.

Charles and the Queen Consort were met by Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and travelled 15 miles to the Palace of Holyroodhouse – where the Queen’s coffin lay at rest in the throne room.

The King led a procession behind the Queen’s coffin up the Royal Mile to St Giles’ Cathedral, joined by his siblings Anne, Andrew and Edward.

The procession of the Queen’s coffin from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles’ Cathedral (Jon Super/PA) (PA Wire)

On Tuesday he left the Palace of Holyroodhouse and returned to Edinburgh Airport, where he boarded a flight travelling 140 miles to Belfast City Airport.

Continuing his Operation Spring Tide tour around the UK, Charles and Camilla were greeted by cheering crowds when they arrived at Hillsborough Castle in Co Down, the royal residence in Northern Ireland, following a 17-mile journey from the airport.

The King attended a memorial service and pledged to “seek the welfare” of all Northern Ireland’s people before flying another 320 miles back to RAF Northolt, arriving in a private plane rather than a military one.

Charles travelled 14 miles to Buckingham Palace on Tuesday evening, where he witnessed the arrival of the Queen’s coffin.

King Charles delivers his address to the nation (Yui Mok/PA) (PA Wire)

How many miles has the Queen’s coffin travelled?

By the time it arrives at Westminster Hall, the Queen’s coffin will have travelled around 600 miles since leaving her beloved Balmoral for the last time on Sunday.

Thousands of people lined the streets as the cortege made its way to the nearby town of Ballater, before going to Aberdeen and Dundee.

In Edinburgh the coffin was observed by party leaders as it went past the Scottish Parliament.

By the time the procession reached Edinburgh’s Palace of Holyroodhouse, after more than six hours, and almost 180 miles, the crowds were 10 deep in places on the famous Royal Mile.

(PA Graphics) (PA Graphics)

The Queen was then taken to St Giles’ Cathedral for a service of thanksgiving for her life before lying in state for 24 hours for the public to pay their respects.

On Tuesday the oak coffin was driven around seven miles to Edinburgh Airport before flying 400 miles to RAF Northolt.

It then travelled 14 miles to Buckingham Palace, where the Queen’s family were there to witness its arrival at the royal residence.

On Wednesday the coffin was being taken from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall to lie in state until the morning of her funeral on September 19.

How many people went to see the Queen lie in state at St Giles’ Cathedral?

The coffin of the Queen is taken to a hearse as it departs St Giles’ Cathedral (Lesley Martin/PA) (PA Wire)

Approximately 33,000 people filed past the Queen’s coffin at the Edinburgh cathedral.

How many people are expected to visit London for the Queen’s lying in state?

Up to 750,000 people could join the queue for the Queen’s lying in state, with more than a million potentially travelling to London in total.

The latest numbers came from Transport for London commissioner Andy Byford, who said: “The most recent approximation or estimate is that there will be around potentially up to 750,000 people in the queue for lying in state, which is itself a huge number.

“But then if you take the whole 10-day mourning period and the various events that happen during that – obviously some happened elsewhere – but even the London element of that, we are talking well north of a million people.”

(PA Graphics) (PA Graphics)

How many miles could the queue in London reach?

It is thought the queue might reach four miles up the Thames to Southwark Park in Bermondsey, with a 12-hour wait before the public are admitted to the lying in state.

Government guidance says the queue is expected to be very long, with people standing for “many hours, possibly overnight”, and with very little opportunity to sit down.

The queuing infrastructure for the Queen’s lying in state is 10 miles in length, it is understood.

Members of the public join the queue as they wait to view the Queen lying in state (Stefan Rousseau/PA) (PA Wire)

This includes 6.9 miles from Victoria Tower Gardens to Southwark Park, with a further three miles inside Southwark Park.

How many volunteers will be at the funeral?

There will be more than 1,000 volunteers, stewards, marshals and police officers on hand at any one time as people queue for the Queen’s lying in state, it is understood.

There will be 779 professional stewards per shift, assisted by 100 civil service volunteer marshals, 40 adult scouts, and 30 members of the first aid nursing yeomanry, as well as Metropolitan Police officers.

There is further queue support from 10 members of the Red Cross, 30 multifaith pastors – co-ordinated by Lambeth Palace – and six Samaritans per shift.

Signage for members of the public joining the queue to view the Queen lying in state (David Hughes/PA) (PA Wire)

There will also be two British Sign Language interpreters in the accessible queue.

How many foreign dignitaries are invited to the funeral?

The event will see around 500 dignitaries from around the world descend on London for the Queen’s state funeral.

Invitations have not been sent to Russia, Belarus or Myanmar, while Iran will only be represented at an ambassadorial level, Whitehall sources have said.

How many jewels are in the Imperial State Crown placed on top of the coffin?

The crown is made of gold and set with 2,868 diamonds, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, 269 pearls, and four rubies.

How many people queued to see the Queen Mother lying in state?

An estimated 200,000 people turned out to pay their respects over three days to the Queen Mother in 2002 – the last person to lie in state in the UK. The funeral itself had 2,200 guests.

Mourners filing past the coffin of the Queen Mother (Phil Noble/PA) (PA Wire)

At their longest, queues stretched across Lambeth Bridge and all the way along the South Bank to Southwark Cathedral, with people being warned to expect a wait of up to 12 hours at peak times.

How much did the Queen Mother’s funeral cost?

The Queen Mother’s funeral arrangements cost more than £5.4 million.

Policing costs amounted to £4.3 million and the Queen Mother’s lying in state came to £825,000, according to a House of Commons research briefing paper.

How long is the royal period of mourning?

In his televised address to the nation the day after the Queen’s death, King Charles III gave the order that a period of “Royal Mourning” would be observed from then (Friday September 9) until seven days after her funeral.

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