Being British we love to queue but I just couldn't handle queuing for over 20 hours. Don't know what I'm talking about? Well this is the queue to pay your final respects to the Queen as she lies in state in Westminster Hall before the funeral on Monday. The queue is about 5 miles long and snakes its way along the South bank of the River Thames. It is incredibly well organised with everyone receiving a numbered wrist band so they can go off to the toilet or to get a drink and not lose their place. There are portaloos along the route as well and first aid stations etc. When the queue gets too long they stop people joining it for a few hours.
What has amazed me the most is not that people have travelled from all over the UK to be here but many, many people have flown in from round the world to pay their respects. David Beckham joined the queue at 2am yesterday and didn't use his celebrity status to try and jump the queue. I think it took him 12 or 14 hours to achieve his goal. The queue has grown since then and so was closed for a few hours again this morning. In years to come I might regret not experiencing the queue!
Instead I went to visit the floral tributes which are now being put into Green Park and Hyde Park as there were just too many outside Buckingham Palace.
The thousands of flowers were laid in rows and what I did notice as I walked amongst them was the beautiful fragrance drifting through the air.
I'm with you on this, as much as I would love to queue to see the Queen laying in state, I draw the line and being in it for 24 hours and admire those who do. Neither my wife nor I could handle the crowds for that long. No doubt if we had been twenty years younger, we would have been there. The flowers look amazing, and I can believe the perfume of them must be something else. I shall be watching the funeral on TV
ReplyDeleteThe poem is quite nice. Florists, flower growers, importers and anywhere you can buy flowers have probably planning for this for a long time.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing to think of standing for that many hours for any reason, but this will not happen again, so I understand why many are queueing for hours on end.
ReplyDeleteI find it unbelievable that people will queue for so long. My mum hated queuing here in Australia because it reminded her of queuing in London for rations after the war.
ReplyDeleteShe was loved.
ReplyDeleteShe was an amazing woman and obviously much loved. The long lines are stunning. I really can't imagine standing for that long but bless those who can.
ReplyDeleteAmzing views at television about the queues there, She must have been very loved by her people.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why, but this is the third time something special happens when I am in England ! The first time I arrived not for but just after the wedding of Edward and Sophie and my son and I could admire the decoration in the Windsor church. The second was the worst, I arrived one day after Diana's funerals. Never ever I have seen so many flowers in my whole life not even now with the queen. I had never seen the Kensington Palace and at that time it was impossible to see the park it was covered with flowers. The Buckingham palace was the same and when 3 garbadge trucks arrived to shuffle them away, a riot almost broke out and the trucks returned without doing anything. Now I just came back from my beach walk switched on the TV and heard that the Queen was very bad at Balmoral, this lasted 2 hours and then her death was announced. The whole evening I watched BBC 1. The tourists which were in London to visit museums etc, changed their mind and wanted to take part at this historical event ! Many things will change, even the bank notes !
ReplyDeleteSince Buckingham Palace was sooo chaotic, I think you were very wise visiting Green Park and Hyde Park. There you could enjoy the flower tributes surrounded by greenery and peace. Floral bouquets = quiet respect..
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful way to honor the Queen! May she rest in peace and may King Charles reign successfully.
ReplyDeleteThe queues, the flowers, the poems ...everything was amazing to see.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your photographs.
All the best Jan
Thanks for sharing your pictures. Being away meant I didn't have to think about whether I would join "The Queue". It certainly took on a life of its own. We were able to watch the funeral though. The planning and execution was meticulous.
ReplyDeleteThe way everything was handled was just lovely. It’s so much nicer seeing these photos on your blog rather than the bits we were able to see on YouTube. We have been traveling with our camper with no service except sporadicly. Home now and catching up on the world!
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