Window ad from hearse carrying Queen’s oak coffin mysteriously disappears mid-journey
BALMORAL, SCOTLAND: While traveling from Balmoral to Edinburgh, undertakers who were hired to transport the Queen's oak coffin removed a large sticker displaying the name William Purves that was advertising their firm on the hearse's window.
The sticker advertisement obscured the view of the late monarch's oak coffin which was draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland flag. The ad could be seen when the hearse left Balmoral at 10 am on September 11, but by the time it reached Edinburgh, it was gone.
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It is likely that the advertisement was spotted and then peeled off when the procession of the car carrying the Queen's coffin stopped at least once during the six-hour journey to allow the drivers to rest. But the ad disappeared only after the firm's website crashed, presumably after scores of curious TV viewers, who saw the sticker ad while trying to get a glimpse of the Queen's coffin, logged in to the website. As site traffic to the family funeral director's website soared, it caused an error message to appear for anyone who visited. An error message popped up for some time after the hearse first appeared around 10 am, filmed by TV crews.
Later, when the website came back online again, a running message read, "When you place your trust in William Purves you can expect the highest standards of professionalism, compassionate care, and a truly distinct service. Whatever you need, whatever your plans, lean on our experience, wherever and whenever you need us."
The Queen's grieving children, Prince Andrew, Princess Anne, and Prince Edward watched their mother's coffin being carried into the Palace of Holyroodhouse and lined up to greet her coffin while crowds gathered in the city to pay their respects at the Palace. Princess Anne's two brothers and Prince Edward's wife Sophie Wessex looked somber as they received the coffin.
Her Majesty's coffin will now remain in the throne room overnight after a six-hour journey from Balmoral until tomorrow afternoon. Then it will travel in a procession to Edinburgh's St Giles' Cathedral, along the Royal Mile, which refers to the procession where the King and the late Queen's other children, Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex will follow behind on foot, along with Anne's husband Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. Lord Chamberlain's Office selected and appointed the family-run funeral directors to the Royal Household based in Scotland who will be now responsible for the Scottish leg of the Queen's final journey.