Scotland falls silent as millions stop to watch 'momentous' Queen's funeral
dailyrecord.co.ukScotland fell silent today as millions of people stayed at home to watch the Queen's funeral unfold on TV. Nicola Sturgeon said the service at Westminster Abbey was "one of the most momentous occasions in recent history" as political leaders and royalty from around the world gathered to pay their respects to the UK's longest-reigning monarch.Many shops across the country were shuttered and workplaces closed to honour the late Queen Elizabeth.
Sturgeon and her husband Peter Murrell were among the 2,000 mourners to attend the first state funeral to take place in London since the death of Winston Churchill in 1965.
The First Minister was joined at the service by other Scottish party leaders including Anas Sarwar of Labour and Alex Cole-Hamilton of the Lib Dems.
Alison Johnstone, the Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, was also in attendance.In a statement issued before the funeral service began, Sturgeon hailed the Queen "as the great constant" in people's lives."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," she said. "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."Sarwar said he was honoured to be invited to the funeral and described it as "a fitting tribute to a remarkable public servant".Cole-Hamilton said: "A privilege to bear witness to history at Westminster Abbey.
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