Karel Schwarzenberg's coffin transported in police procession to Prague Castle

A hearse bearing the family coat-of-arms transported Karel Schwarzenberg's coffin from the Church of Our Lady Beneath the Chain in Prague's Malá Strana district to Prague Castle on Saturday morning, accompanied by a police procession. After arriving at its destination, the coffin, draped in the blue-and-white flag of the House of Schwarzenberg, was carried by soldiers into St. Vitus Cathedral for the former statesman's funeral mass.

Over the course of three days, over 11,000 people came to pay their respects to the late Karel Schwarzenberg as his body lay in state in the Malá Strana church.

Karel Schwarzenberg was a member of the Czech nobility and one of the country’s most prominent post-1989 politicians. He passed away on November 12 in Vienna at the age of 85.