The Queen

[rosy]

The Queue (I think it deserves the capital letter) is amazing and so British.

[Kenickie]

The poor guard who fainted! Bet no one will ever let him forget it.

[Lola]

The poor sod.

I must admit, I would have liked to have gone but I don’t think I could queue up for that amount of time. Plus I don’t like crowds

I think the people watching the procession yesterday had the right idea. You got to see everything with no queuing.

[Suzi.Q]

Sounds like it’s taken it out of my mum a bit, but they did it. I watched them go through on the live feed. She’s determined to go and see the flowers at Green Park too.

[emma_p]

The flowers are really lovely. Worth going to.

[Ella77]

One of my team members is over from India, and he's going to EVERYTHING. The flowers, The Queue, quick trip up to Holyrood this weekend. He's seeing some amazing things (plus the Jubilee) in his time over here, I love it.

[Suzi.Q]

They didn’t make it to the flowers, my sister insisted that they get a cab back to st Pancras and just sit and drink tea until their train. My mums done really well though.

[Kleio]

My brother is in The Queue.

He left his home (SW14) about 2pm and has moved a couple of miles. He thinks he’ll be inside by midnight.

[rosy]

It must have been amazing for your mum and sister, Suzi. I hope your mum isn’t too exhausted after it all.

Good luck for seeing your brother on the live feed, Kleio!

[Marth]

The Queue is now 11 hours long.

[Suzi.Q]

It must have been amazing for your mum and sister, Suzi. I hope your mum isn’t too exhausted after it all.

Good luck for seeing your brother on the live feed, Kleio!

It’s definitely taken it out of her. The assistance lady at St Pancras phoned ahead to derby to ask that there was a wheelchair waiting for her when she got off the train and she was all ‘I don’t need a wheelchair’ then when they got off the train at derby she got straight in it! I’m so glad she was able to go though.

[Rosa]

I hope your mum has had a good rest Suzi. It must have been so tiring for her.

The Queue is now five miles long, with more than a 14 hour wait.

[Edith Bacon]

They have stopped people joining The Queue now because it’s’ at capacity’. The pause is supposed to be for 6 hours but I bet there is already a queue of people waiting to join The Queue.

[Turtle Bean]

Zirk went to Green Park last night and saw all the flowers. It's a bit ridiculous really.

[Edith Bacon]

Also: how can a queue which is outside, in public space, be ‘at capacity’?

[Ella77]

I think it must be at risk of crossing a road now?

[Edith Bacon]

I’m amazed it has got so long without crossing a road so far, then.

[SunnyMum]

I follow a second hand book shop on FB and this morning he's posted about a pile of news papers he found in a box : newspapers from 1910 et 1952 with headlines about The King Is Dead. The photos show just how littel has changed, the protocol and the ceremony is exactly the same.
If you want a look its The Bookshop : https://www.facebook.com/thebookshopwigtown

[Cerise]

I follow a second hand book shop on FB and this morning he's posted about a pile of news papers he found in a box : newspapers from 1910 et 1952 with headlines about The King Is Dead. The photos show just how littel has changed, the protocol and the ceremony is exactly the same.
If you want a look its The Bookshop : https://www.facebook.com/thebookshopwigtown

You have reminded me that I might have something similar in my loft! I will go and see.

[Livilla]

I was reading about the protocol last night - how it’s only since 1910 that monarchs have lain in state at Westminster Hall, as previously it was being used for law courts. Before that it was a Windsor, or the Banqueting Hall on White Hall. And that back in the days before mass media they used to have a waxwork figure of the monarch with their coffin as loads of the people attending the procession would never have seen them in the flesh (they still have some of the waxworks on display at Westminster Abbey, apparently).

And the naval ratings had to be used to pull Queen Victoria’s gun carriage after the horses’ harnessing broke off the carriage and they obviously needed to move it, and then that became tradition. Bonkers!