I received a range of reactions when I told people I was thinking about joining the queue to see the Queen lying at rest in Westminster Hall. Some were very negative – why would you want to do that? Others were positive and encouraging and said ‘well done’. I was lucky, I was in London anyway for a court hearing on 15 September, so that meant I had a hard deadline, but I thought I could do it.
A friend had queued in Edinburgh on Monday/Tuesday and had seen it as a positive experience (and worthwhile).
Queueing to see the Queen at Westminster Hall
I arrived in London (via a meeting in Wales) at 1am. Much to my colleagues’ horror/amusement I went to find the end of the queue. I arrived at the point between Southwark Bridge and Tower Bridge at the same time as Diane from New York, Jo from Brisbane, and Shanny from Norfolk.
There was another group behind us that we interacted with through the night (mainly to discuss how much longer it might be and whether the queue was growing, or we had peaked too early). Just like David Beckham, 24 hours later we had all thought that there would be a lull at 2am (but we were wrong).
The atmosphere in the queue was fantastic. Quiet save for the low chatter of people meeting for the first time and uniting over a shared experience. The location of the queue made it special too. We walked along the River Thames (save for one short bit behind the old County Hall Building) and passed a number of famous landmarks and bridges (lit up not in red, white and blue as I expected but nicely floodlit nonetheless).
Maybe the fact that it was the middle of the night also made it more poignant. The time flew by and thanks to my companions at no point did I need to put on a podcast or read a magazine (I had come prepared with a power bank for my phone etc but it was not required, which is a testament to those who were with me).
Why did I do it?
Did we question at any point what we were doing? Yes, we did about 6am when we got to the end of Westminster Bridge directly opposite the Houses of Parliament and were told it might be another six hours from there (it was actually three hours from that point). Diane and I were the only ones with hard deadlines so we were a bit worried we would have to leave the queue before we got to the end.
So why did I queue? I was in London anyway and was grateful to be there for what was an important moment in history. Joining the queue was the ultimate experience. I went to Buckingham Palace and Green Park on the evening of 15 September but the atmosphere was not special for me. There were lots of tourists making a lot of noise and taking selfies. The queue was where I found the special atmosphere I was looking for and had expected.
Westminster Hall itself is somewhere I am familiar with, but it was incredibly quiet. I was lucky enough to be on the stairs when the changing of the guard took place which meant I was in there a bit longer. I didn’t know what to do when I got to the coffin so copied others in front of me by bowing. I did look back from the door too as I think most have done, but we were not hurried along. It was emotional but then I had been up all night. There were people that were crying.
Rest in peace Your Majesty
I would not do something like this again and I would not have done it for anyone else in public life. I never met the Queen, but I did see her a number of times in close proximity (e.g. at both investitures for my parents, so she was part of those special days for our family. We were pleased when we heard it would be her – no stand in would have been good enough).
It was also my birthday on 15 September and I was up for 22 hours of that day. I have to say it is definitely a birthday I will remember.
The Queen had a life of incredible privilege but she did the job she inherited extremely well. We will never see that again in our lifetimes. Rest in peace Your Majesty.
