Westminster is filled with mourners queueing to bid their farewell to Queen Elizabeth II, following the queue route announcement from the UK Parliament at 5 pm on 14th September.
On the afternoon of Saturday, 17th September, two days before the Queen’s State Funeral in Westminster Abbey, Westminster Hall was awash with early-autumn sunshine. There were Scottish bagpipers on Westminster Bridge and thousands of mourners who had been standing in the queue for up to 14 hours were still waiting patiently.
An estimated 7.5 million visitors have reportedly attended the Queen’s Lying-in-State in Westminster Hall so far. A security staff indicates, “People have even queued up to Westminster Bridge, and they will still need to stay in the line for another 3 hours to enter the Westminster Hall to see the Queen’s Lying-in-State.”
I spoke to a few mourners in the 5-mile-long queue, who came from different parts of the world, to say their final goodbyes to Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall. They told me their thoughts and experiences of this iconic moment in London.
Darren from Australia: ” I flew to London from Victoria, Australia. I spent over AUD$10,000 from Victoria to London to mourn the Queen, and I’m not rich.”
“I booked my tickets to the UK as soon as I heard the news when the Queen died. After two cancellations of my flight from Victoria, Australia, my third flight finally got me here on Thursday evening at 6.40pm.”
““I always loved the Royal family ever since I was a little child. My grandmother always reminded me about the Queen. Since I was a child, I always pretended that my grandmother was the Queen, because she looked so much like her.”
“I feel a strong connection with the UK. I’ve been to the UK so many times. I was fortunate enough to bring my grandparents here in 2013, which was their first overseas trip, and we visited all the royal palaces in London.”
“I’m jet-lagged, I had no sleep, and I’ve been queueing since 4.30 am this morning from the very start of the queue in Bermondsey, in southeast London.”
“I’m exhausted, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. This has to be done,” says the Australian royalist.
“I spent over AUD$10,000 ( Appox GBP£5,848 ) on the flights to London. He’s not rich.” Says the Australian royalist.
“He’s not rich.” Adds Marcella, an Albanian lady in the queue with Darren, who also has been queueing for 12 hours from Bermondsey to Westminster.
Marcella, a London-based Albanian: ”I came to this country 23 years ago without having a penny in my pocket. The Queen gave me the chance to forge a new life in the UK.”
“I’ve been living in the UK for 23 years. Tell me, which country offers free-NHS treatments for people except for the UK? To me, her Majesty is more than a Queen, but also a star. Wherever you turn your head around in this country, you will always feel her existence.”
“The Queen made me what I am today. I came to this country 23 years ago without a penny in my pocket. Now I’ve got everything, I have a daughter and she has very good education in London. I wouldn’t make this life in another country, even if I worked hard. She gave me the chance to forge a new life in the UK.”
“She gives everybody the same rights, which are human rights, to live in the UK. How can you not love and respect her and be here?”
“I wouldn’t mind queueing for 24 hours, let alone waiting for 12 hours. She served the country for over 70 years.”
Marcella believes King Charles III will inherit the late Queen’s legacy. “Charles will be as adorable as his mother; this is in his blood. He will follow the legacy of Queen Elizabeth II, just as the late Queen followed his father, King George VI’s footsteps.”
“We’ve been given water and blankets for free because we’ve queueing since 4 am in the morning. People in the queue share biscuits with each other.” The Kosovo-born describes.
Wei, a Malaysian lives in Reading: ”Malaysia was a British colony. The Queen and the British monarchy are highly regarded in Malaysia and the UK.”
Wei and her husband travelled from Reading in the early morning and started to queue with her mother, Ming, who lives in London and also joined the line to attend the Lying-in-State in Westminster Hall.
“Malaysia was a British colony. The Queen and the British monarchy are highly regarded in Malaysia and the UK. We deeply respected her.” Says Wei, the Reading-based Malaysian surgeon.
“We started to queue from Tower Bridge, London, at 4.30 am this morning. We’ve been queueing for about 13 hours. We saw the Queen on TV and realised the Queen looked fragile in her public appearance at the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June. We expected this day (The Queen’s passing) to come, but we didn’t know this day to come so quickly. I was shocked to hear the news that the Queen has died.”
““I wouldn’t expect King Charles III will be as good as the late Queen, going by his recent behaviours on TV, although I understand that he is grieving the loss of his mother.”
Woody, a Hong Kong student from Cambridge: “I appreciate the value of British colonialism in Hong Kong.”
“I was born in Hong Kong and am a second-year engineering student, currently studying in Cambridge. I’ve been queuing to see the late queen for about 13 hours.”
“I appreciate the value of British colonialism in Hong Kong. The late Queen and her administration in Hong Kong brought the city prosperities prosperity and stability.”
Kenni, a Nigerian in London: “I wish the new king the best of luck. Everything will be OK.”
“I lived in London for almost 20 years. The Queen is a legacy, and I wish the new king the best of luck. Everything will be OK, and everything falls on his shoulders right now. The Queen was a good mother for him and the nation. That’s why I am here to pay respect.”
“When you are inside the Westminster Hall, you can feel a lot of emotions from visitors, as the Queen lays lies in state of at Westminster Hall.”
Moreover, I spoke to mourners in the accessible queue for people with disabilities.
Sally from Cambridgeshire: “This is a very British way to pay respect when someone dies. I hope the new monarch will carry on the Christian values.”
“I got up at 4.15 am this morning. I started to queue at Tate Britain at 8.30am, it has been over 6 hours in the line. I expected to queue this long, this is a very British way to pay respect when someone dies. I love the Royal Family and its history.”
Sally carried some sandwiches inside the basket of her mobility scooter.
“There were toilets on the way, from Tate Britain to Westminster. People were lovely and stayed in the queue for me to go and use the toilets. I met a few lovely ladies in Cambridge train station, and we’ve been here all day in the queue.”
Sally has high hopes for the new King of England “He has had 70 years of training to be the monarch. “We hope King Charles will not be as opinionated as he used to be. I hope the new monarch will carry on the Christian values. He knows what the late Queen would have wanted, and he adored his mom. I believe Charles would not stray from the traditional path.”
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