In the far-off distance, a lone piper played. As the funeral cortege approached, you’d have heard a pin drop, as a hush descended on the crowds crammed into the narrow thoroughfare. As the cars passed, polite and spontaneous applause broke out.

It was as if people did not know how to behave. How do you thank a much-loved Queen– a grandmother to the nation – who had been the steadfast backdrop of our lives for 70 years?

Even in Scotland, where division over monarchs has been a constant since the late 13th and early 14th centuries, there was if nothing else, admiration and respect for this elderly woman.

But she was, after all, one of them. Descended from the Royal House of Stewart on both sides of her family, her relationship with Scotland and the Scots began in childhood and deepened during her many private – as well as official – visits throughout the seven decades of her reign.

At the start of the day, beyond the public view, her coffin was carried aloft by Balmoral gamekeepers, while an hour into the six-hour journey local farmers formed a guard of honour in their tractors.

Veterans from the Royal Engineers waved their regiment’s flag in tribute as the hearse came past, while other bystanders clutched Union flags close to their chests.

To finish, Princess Anne, who had been by her mother’s side for her final days, offered a poignant curtsy as a guard of honour welcomed the casket to Holyroodhouse.

These are remarkable days and they have only just begun. We are a witness to history. It is not an overstatement to say that, if civilisation lasts another 500 years, they will be still talked and written about in the same way Shakespeare ensured the great kings and queens lived on through literature.

On Monday, King Charles will escort the coffin to St Giles’ Cathedral for a service attended by members of the royal family and dignitaries. For 24 hours people will be able to pay their respects —the first time members of the public will file past the coffin — while a vigil is maintained by the Royal Company of Archers.

Authorities are already concerned about queues and an anticipated crush. In London later this week she will lie-in-state for four days at the Palace of Westminster. Such is the expected attendance it is expected the public will be granted 24 hours access. Mourners are likely to stand for many hours, possibly overnight, just to file past the catafalque to pay their respects.

Courtesy of a 70-year reign, much of the world has never experienced an occasion such as this. Within the crowds on Sunday were off-duty US marines, French and Italian tourists, Chinese university students and Australians just on holiday.

But, just as importantly, there were thousands of Britons of all shapes, sizes and classes, thanking an incredible woman just for always being there. Until she was not.

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