Queen Elizabeth's final journey sets record for most tracked flight in history. Details here

Queen Elizabeth II's final journey from Edinburgh to RAF Northolt created history as the flight carrying the Queen's coffin was tracked by almost 5 million viewers. Flightradar24, the website for tracking the flight, reported that a total of 4.79 million viewers were watching the Queen's final journey live, while another 0.25 million logged into YouTube to watch it.

Last night, the late Queen Elizabeth II's coffin reached Buckingham Palace from Balmoral Palace in Scotland. The Monarch passed away in Edinburgh 5 days ago at 96. Her Majesty was laid at rest in St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh for the public members to pay their last respects to the Queen. The coffin was then taken to London via flight.

Did the Flightradar24 website crash due to overload?

Flightradar24 claimed that 6 million people attempted to follow the flight within the first few minutes just as the flight, a Boeing C17A Globemaster, turned on its transponder at the Edinburgh Airport. The load on the website affected its stability.

The Director of Communications at Flightradar24 wrote in an email that 70 years after Queen Elizabeth took her first flight as the Monarch aboard 'Atlanta,' the BOAC Argonaut, her final flight became the most tracked flight in Flightradar24 history.

The last most tracked flight

The flight held the previous record for the most tracked flight at Flightradar24 that US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took to Taiwan in August. The number of viewers who tuned in to track that flight was half the number of people tracking the Queen's last journey.

Princess Anne pays tribute to the Late Queen.

Princess Anne accompanied her mother's coffin on its final journey onboard Atlanta. She had her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, by her side at this time of grief as she penned a moving tribute to the late Queen.

Princess Anne said she was fortunate to share the last 24 hours of her dearest mother's life. It was an honor and privilege for her to accompany her mother on her final journeys. She wrote further that the love and respect shown by many on these journeys have been humbling and uplifting.

She offered thanks to each and everyone who shared their sense of loss. She said they might have been reminded of how they took the Queen's presence and contribution to their national identity for granted.

The Princess added that she was also very grateful for the support and understanding extended to her dear brother Charles as he assumed the added responsibilities of the Monarch.