Good morning. After the extraordinary sight of the cortege carrying the Queen’s coffin leaving Balmoral yesterday and then being met by thousands lining the streets of Edinburgh, Elizabeth II will lie in rest at St Giles’ cathedral today before being flown to London tomorrow. Meanwhile, King Charles III will attend parliament to receive addresses of condolence from both houses before travelling to Scotland to meet the first minister, Nicola Sturgeon.
But while the machinery of the accession will continue to operate in the UK, in other parts of the world, questions over the monarchy’s future now appear much more urgent. Over the weekend, the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, said that he would seek a referendum on becoming a republic within three years. And the Caribbean nation is not alone in viewing the Queen’s death as a moment to consider its constitutional future.
