King Charles will lead a poignant procession behind the coffin of his mother in Edinburgh on Monday afternoon after he spoke of the “weight of history” as he addressed Westminster Hall in his first visit to Parliament as sovereign.

The King said: “As I stand before you today, I cannot help but feel the weight of history which surrounds us and which reminds us of the vital parliamentary traditions to which members of both Houses dedicate yourselves with such personal commitment, for the betterment of us all.”

He quoted William Shakespeare as he described his mother’s legacy.

He told MPs and peers: “As Shakespeare says of the earlier Queen Elizabeth, she was ‘a pattern to all princes living’.”

Afterwards the new monarch headed to Scotland where the Queen will be taken from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to nearby St Giles’ Cathedral where her family, and a congregation drawn from all areas of Scottish society, will attend a service of thanksgiving for her life.

Members of the public will be able to view the coffin to pay their respects for 24 hours before it is taken to London ahead of a period of lying in state.

Later in the evening, the King and other members of his family, likely his siblings, will mount a vigil at the cathedral in honour of their mother.