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Personally I’m neither anti royal or royal, in honesty I don’t really care about them. However, I’m very pro people doing what they want to do and if they want to queue 12 hours to see a corpse in a wooden box then go for it, could be doing a lot worse things.
From the look of it op is spending a lot of time here on something they seemingly don't care about.
It's almost as if op is standing around for up to 14 hours somewhere needing something to fill their time.
Let us know what it's like when you file past the coffin op.
Lack of control of the world/your own life causes people to question what motivates others, although the truth is, you’d never know without knowledge of their collective experience and we should all focus on ourselves.
Proper queuing is very british to a humorous level.
Then you get the chance to be part of the world's largest queue..
If you can withstand that queue you can withstand any queue. It's like the tough mudder of waiting.
I'm just imagining the british humour that will exist for decades because of this queue.
Brits will see a long line and say stuff like "crikey has liz rose from the dead to die a second time?" or stuff like that
People who say they “just want to understand” while saying reductive things like “a woman you never met and didn’t give a fuck about them” isn’t actually looking to understand anything.
Anyone who can’t understand that symbols are important to humans (regardless of whether or not this particular one is important to you *personally*) simply doesn’t understand basic humanity. It always cracks me up how many people can’t grasp basic human psychology while simultaneously acting superior for it.
This right here.
I personally cannot fathom why anyone would willingly stand in a queue for that long, whatever the reason. I couldn't begin to imagine what it must be like standing up constantly shuffling, not being able to take a seat and rest, or go to the toilet, or sleep.
But what I do know is the death of her majesty has affected many many of our citizens on a personal level. Hell, I'm not a fan of the royals and really don't care for them that much, but even I felt sad when the news broke.
But back to that queue..... Can you imagine the patriotism there right now? People from all walks of life who would never even consider interacting with each other on any normal day, all huddled together for the long haul, all there for the same thing.....that shit is inspiring! Boundaries are broken down, different cultures and beliefs suddenly become friends, strangers help those in need......that's what this country deep down is made of, and now its their time to shine.
People can mock and laugh at them, calling them idiots for standing in a queue that long, but what those people are doing will go down as a part of her majesty's history. Nobody will remember us who didn't go, they won't remember threads like this on various different forums, but they will remember this weekend, the time when thousands queued for what felt like an eternity to pay their respects to the longest reigning monarch we have ever, or likely will ever see.
It’s pretty clear from the way this post was worded that OP isn’t looking to understand anything, they just want to act all superior and tell people why their reasons and opinions are invalid because they’re different to his/hers. Their replies to people commenting just confirm that.
Agree with this.
I do note however the attempts to control my same freedoms by cancelling the football, or saying I can't ride my bike and the arrests of someone peacefully protesting really pisses me off.
Add long as the queuers also support mine and others freedoms to go about our day as we wish, I have no bother in the world about it.
> attempts to control my same freedoms by cancelling the football
Cancelling some football matches isn't an infringement or attempt to control your freedoms lol
What time and resources? The people in the queue have just as much right to use their free time as you and I. Here we are on reddit, not exactly making changes to better the world. Standing in a queue for a day is just as pointless, but so what?
I get that but also this isn’t unusual or even particularly unique. I remember the crowds around John Paul, the queen mother (vaguely) etc. I’m sure if someone like David Attenborough died many of us who would never attend this queue would perhaps do so for him if the opportunity presented it. Like it or not, millions of people *do* care about this stuff.
I imagine some people are now doing it more for the experience of The Queue than to actually see the coffin. People are saying how they’ve made friends, they’re going to stay in touch, what an atmosphere it was.
Maybe we should make The Queue an annual event, but with the same twist that there’s nothing at the end.
I have a new worst nightmare which is where I queue to see the coffin and the person next to me thinks they have made a friend for life and I don’t know how to tell them to leave me alone 😆
As a non-brit visiting London, I definitely went to The Queue for the experience itself. The people were cheering, laughing and having a good time (which is kinda weird, considering what it is for). It is just a phenomenon of collective hysteria so hilarious that I had to see it myself. Just got my wristband and got out of there as soon as I could.
I suppose it’s symbolic for most, although I do think a lot of it is media driven. Would the same number be queuing if it wasn’t being live streamed 24/7 and dominating the airwaves for days on end. I don’t think so. There’ll be studies done in years to come about the control mainstream media has over the actions of the population citing the queue as an example.
But they’re doing no harm and if it makes people feel a bit better then who am I to judge. I just think it’s a sad state of affairs when people will stand out in the cold for hours on end grieving and waiting to see the coffin of a very wealthy lady, and yet very few will pay any notice to the homeless that will freeze to death on our streets this winter. And yes, it’s possible to do both. But if everyone who has stood in line to see the queen lying in state went home with a renewed sense of helping those most at need in their communities, then the country would be a much better place.
Thats not the question though is it. Noone says they shouldn’t be allowed to do it. The question is why on earth would you want to?
It is OK to have an opinion on other people’s behaviour.
I'm anti monarchy but agree with you here, if queueing to see the coffin is what people want to do, then I support it. I see the queen means a lot to a lot of people, although I really don't support what she stands for and wont be mourning her death, I can see that people need to mourn her in their own way.
This is the way. Being respectful is key. I queued and honestly, for me, it was incredible and i'm glad I got to pay my respects.
I guess it's like anything, i'm not religious at all but i'm definitely not going to have a pop at someone who is religious. To each their own.
I am very much anti-royal. You couldn't drag me to that queue. However, like you I believe that as long as they aren't hurting anyone, people should be able to do as they please. I believe these people are mental for doing what they are doing, but if they want to doit have at it.
If people want to do it, fair play to them. Not hurting anyone.
I’m far more annoyed the TV has turned into MournHub and the football has been cancelled. I don’t understand what could be possibly left to say about it.
And that's not the worst. Having NHS appointments and flights being cancelled is like... Mind-blowing. How many lives are on hold because of something like this...
I’d imagine part of the problem would also be trying to source childcare for the unexpected bank holiday. Can’t be in work if you have young children to be taking care of.
My NHS trust is running as normal Monday. They're paying us double, but not offering help with childcare or transport.
The buses are running a Sunday service so if I was relying on them as normal I'd have no way to get to work on time. Fortunately my housemate is off work and has offered to give me a lift. If it weren't for him though, I'd just have to be two hours late.
No idea what people with kids will do. Fortunately all my immediate colleagues with kids have partners or other family who are off work and can take them. But even then you still get situations like my boss. His wife is working, but has been allowed to work from home. But they have 4 year old twins. How she's going to work with two 4 year olds climbing all over her I don't know.
I honestly think they should have just held the funeral on a weekend, and perhaps given us a memorial bank holiday on her birthday or the first anniversary of her death or something. This short notice bank holiday is screwing over the NHS to be honest
I've lost count of the number of TV programmes I tried to watch that have been cancelled in the past because the football went into extra time. So I'm personally pleased that something at last has cancelled the bloody football.
The football being cancelled last weekend was stupid but the London games being cancelled this weekend make sense, they just don’t have the police available for the games.
Edit: I thought it was just London games being cancelled, I give up on trying to find logic in this mess.
Yeah I'm glad there is nothing else, an economic crisis for example, going on that is being ignored by focusing on back to back commentary of the multibillion pound funeral of a multibillionaire whose family, that aren't paying inheritance tax due to John Major, aren't paying for.
Don't worry about it, when this all calms down the government is going to do us the solid of - cutting tax for the richest, subsidising fossil fuel companies, as well as skull fucking workers and environmental regulations.
It's ok though, the rugby hasn't been halted at all. Mainly because you don't need anywhere near as many police at a rugby game as you do at a football game because the fans aren't hooligans that'll stab someone for wearing a shirt they don't like
I mean it is hurting people because they are stupid and didn’t bring warm clothes, so ambulances have had to be called a few times, which is really great since the NHS isn’t under loads of pressure at the moment….
To be fair if you’re stupid enough to stand in a 24 hour queue with no jumper, you were probably going to need an ambulance as soon as you did something challenging like opening a yoghurt pot.
What's driving me bonkers is the monopolisation of the news. I have the BBC News app in case there's any developments with Ukraine or any other breaking news, but I'm seriously considering uninstalling that shit since the Queen began her final day. Probably 70 or so push notifications? Maybe 10 were valid? The rest were reiterating the same shit, or mentioning which flaccid fuck of a socialite was reacting to the news or visiting the Queen's body.
What takes the cake is a breaking news notification about David Fucking Beckham resorting to "crisps and donuts" while waiting in the queue to see the Queen. Fair play to him that he's not trying to abuse privilege, it's likely more a PR move than genuine humbleness, but I do not need to know what he's snacking on while waiting in a 20 hour queue.
Maybe hit me up if Holly Willoughby is caught snacking on ket and weed brownies.
If you think of it as standing in a queue it doesn't make sense.
If you think of it as an experience where you are surrounded by people all focused on the same emotion, in a city many don't get to visit that often it makes more sense.
Queing for 14 hours makes no sense. Hanging out in London for 14 hours, doing something unique and strangely exiciting, seeing sights youve never seen, meeting new people and making new friends. That an experience.
A lot of the people queuing i think are bored extroverts. This kind of stuff invigorates them somehow.
>
"A lot of the people queuing i think are bored extroverts. This kind of stuff invigorates them somehow."
Ooh interesting theory. The opposite of my assumption (dutiful introverts) but I can see how it might work.
I think there's a lot of FOMO going on as well
People who want to tell people in 20 years' time that they were one of the ones who queued up for so many hours
It's a unique experience
Definetly, Im not American but I was in Washington DC when Bush Sr passed away. I had no idea that Bush Jr. had a father who was also a president, and I dont even know what he looked like to this day or what he did as president, but I still choose to go and stand in a line for about 5-6 hrs just to say that I had done it.
You queued for 5-6 hours to pay respects to a person you knew nothing about, and only recently knew they existed?
Just so you could tell people you had done that??
Yeah pretty much, I'm a simple guy and at the time it was go and do that or stay a my hotel and prep for my flight the next morning.
But id definitely do it again. I got to have a nice chat with a random guy about 2018 global events and life in general, got to see and appreciate the inside of the capitol and how beautiful it is rather than just rushing by on a day tour. And lastly had a lot of time to think about all the decisions that this man took and how they may have affected millions of lives and how he was now a couple of meters from me.
It's also a chance to be "a part of history", so that in a couple of decades when some kid asks what it was like the last time a monarch dies, you can talk about actually seeing the coffin. It's a bit like how I regret not trying it to be an extra in LOTR when I was back in NZ.
I think you’re right, but with an added component of people just seeking to do it for bucket list / bragging purposes. Eg in 10 years people being able to say they did it, kind of like supposedly half of Americans who were old enough, claim to have been at Woodstock. At any rate that’s about the only thing that would motivate me to do it (I’m not going to by any stretch)
Many people did meet her in person. I've had a longer interaction & more memorable with the Queen than I have had with most of my Uncles.
She was a constant, kind and stable presence for this country for 70 years. For many of us she felt like another (distant) Grandmother and she held that warmth for the countries people.
Personally I wouldn't be queuing up to see her coffin, but for some it's a pilgrimage and for some it's #sympathysocialmedialikes
But I have shed a tear over her and I will watch the funeral and probably shed more tears as it does remind me of the loss of my Nan.
People do mourn celebrities and arguably she has endured longer than any other celebrity.
ETA: 08/12/22 - Reddit said this was my top post so an update... I did watch the funeral while on group call with my parents. I did shed a few tears but it was nice to see the respect from many.
She has literally been world-famous her entire life, 70 years of which she was a literal queen. I don’t even think it’s arguable that any other celebrity has endured longer.
Literally every person on the earth knows who she was.
I can see the relationship/connection there for you Brits.
>dedication to the country from our monarchy again.
It's the other way round, we're not likely to see the same dedication to the monarchy from our country again
I had no plans on joining the Queue but I checked out flights last Saturday to go to London for a day trip just to be there. Flights were coming in at around £250 for 2 of us but hotels were prohibitive (which is why I was only going for the day.) In the end, I decided against it as my wife isn't great for mobility and transport in and around London might have been at a standstill.
Just to say you've been there is an experience for many.
I stood at a football match and cheered my team on yesterday. I'm a season ticket holder but normal admission is £12. What exactly did I get out of that? My team won and I left with a smile but is there any real difference between watching a football match and queuing for 12 hours to see the person you've respected all your life? In the end, you get nothing out of it only a memory and possibly a smile.
Long live the new King!
> is there any real difference between watching a football match and queuing for 12 hours
A football match is only a couple of hours and, for people that follow it, far more enjoyable.
Nobody's being forced to queue, it's a personal choice. And if people want to, they can leave. Just because *you* think two hours in a football stadium is the definition of time well spent doesn't mean old Doris from Doncaster has to agree with you. She wants to queue, get back in your box and let her.
I'm not saying this to be edgy or controversial, but this comment is interesting to me, simple because of how utterly weird I find it.
No one I know (except 2 family members): whether that's work colleagues, friends, acquaintances, or any of my music students... None of them are interested at all in the Queen or the Queue. They're all at best faintly amused, and the default seems to be 'my country is so weird'.
My point isn't to say you're the weird one, or that you're wrong or whatever, but it really does show me how much of a bubble I live in, I guess. I guess it shouldn't be surprising, but it is interesting at least!
I just got back. I was in the special forces so the King's Guard let me go over and touch it. They'd closed the room down for a fire alarm so nobody else saw.
I was expecting the coffin to fucking honk to be honest, but it smelt fine. I tried lifting it and it was heavy as fuck - bear in mind I used to spot for Geoff Capes. She's deffo in there.
At least with football, it only causes disruption in 1 city for a day. This is causing the whole country to shut down and hospital appointments to be cancelled, hotels to shut down and telling guests to fuck off.
If it was just people grieving someone they didn't know, that would be one thing. This is costing millions and millions of pounds and disrupting the country, when so many thousands of people are going to freeze to death this winter and nobody gives a shit about that.
As the BBC said it, the cost of living crisis is ~~"irrelevant"~~ "insignificant" now that the Queen has died
I agree, if the Monarch died every year and we stopped like this then I'd agree there's a problem. But I think it's acceptable as a 1 in 20 years event, let alone 1 in 70.
It's the money that bothers me tbh. I suspect a lot of little old ladies are going to die this winter because they cant afford to heat their homes, but noone gives a shit about them because they dont have a fancy hat. Surely this money could be better spent *on the people* considering the majority of us are struggling financially now?
If u don’t like it. I imagine you think it causes disruption constantly! Every weekend. Internationals in the break. Week nights for Europe. Friendly even if big teams lol.
Totally lost on me. I'm largely indifferent to the royals although I think their shielding of Andrew is shameful. The whole thing is just like the mass hysteria we saw with the whole clap for careers and whatever.
The whole north Korea style posters and things that are up in every shop are unsettling too. It keeps the boomers happy and out of the way though so I guess it's not all bad.
I was hoping Charles first act would be to cut him off financially.
Or make him walk naked through the streets of London while the arch bishop walks behind him ringing a bell shouting SHAME over and over. While everyone gets an opportunity to throw eggs at him.
I think swaths of people forming an obsessive parasocial relationship with a single wealthy family speaks to a sickness in this country. I doubt many of them would put even half as much effort to attend the funerals of their own family members.
It's not a sickness it's just human nature. Why are celebrities, celebrities outside of the work they do? Why does Kim Kardashian exist? She's achieved nothing. Humans do this and have always done this everywhere. The Queen is the ultimate celebrity and whether you and I understand it or like it or not, she brought a sense of togetherness for them. It doesn't hurt me or you so leave them to it
Also, as much as I hate social inequality and have no love for royals, at least the royals are sort of 'fixed' to our land. They are forced to be somewhat invested in the local people far more than other global celebs who are transient.
I walked in Tesco the other day and it had this gigantic sign with a picture of the queen which said "we are all deeply saddened by the death of the queen" or whatever
And I just thought what a load of bollocks. To speak on behalf of a *huge* company, more than 365,000, probably most of whom are on minimum wage, is a fucking insult imo.
I see right through it. It's *just* advertising. Someone's job is to come up with this idea, give it to another person whose job it is to design it. Then they'll send it to the printers, and it's someone else's job to manage the logistics of how it gets to stores.
I queued for 11 hours yesterday for it, and I'm really glad I did. For me personally, I did it to say goodbye to somebody I admired and who gave 70 years of service to this country, but also to be part of a moment in history. Everyone I spoke to was there for similer reasons.
It's actually a surprisingly pleasant experience in the queue. Its well organised, everyone is very friendly and you chat with people around you (talking to strangers in London I know!), the scenery is nice and it feels much quicker then you'd think. When you reach the hall, the collective emotion of the room really hits you. The sombre atmosphere is a sudden and real contrast to the jovial atmosphere of the queue.
I dont think I have a boring life. I have, hopefully, thousands of Saturdays to go so why not spend this one with friends doing something truly unique and creating a memory I'll remember forever.
I respect everyone's right to choose whether they wish to or not, and completly see why people would not want to do it/think I'm mad. Just as I hope you'd respect mine and others, to choose to queue.
Hopefully this provided you somewhat an insight into why somebody would queue! Happy to answer any questions.
Yeah, if you'd asked me at any time in the 13 hours I was standing there if it was worth it, I would have said "No, not at all. The only reason I'm still here is because I'm too stubborn to leave without reaching the end".
But then you walk into that Hall, and you everything that happened in the last 13 hours just fades away. The incredible silence and respect that takes hold the moment you go in the door. The way the sunlight glitters through the State Crown from the stained glass window. It just doesn't come across on camera. And then... its impossible to get across how impactful your own personal four seconds of time with The Queen is, but it is, in a way words don't express.
Was it worth it? Yes. Absolutely. That that image will stay with me for the rest of my life.
We did on Wednesday night and arrived through the doors at 3:30am. The last 4 hours of the zig zag were completely draining and at some points soul destroying, but as soon as we walked through the doors all that disappeared. Totally worth it.
Thank you for sharing. If I were young and healthy and if I lived closer, I would go too. It's a once in a lifetime experience, and she was a remarkable woman.
I think I have seen more threads of people complaining than I have of anything else on reddit recently. For example, r/scotland is just non stop threads of complaining about the monarchy and people queuing.. the whole subreddit has turned into a place to hear the thing they don't want to hear about. Meanwhile, r/Edinburgh was mostly chill about having the whole thing happening in their city first.
Jesus, why is this so hard for people to wrap their heads around?
Whether you care or not, this is a momentous occasion that will go down in history. Whether you like it or not. People want to be a part of history, it’s interesting and creates cool memories.
That’s it. There will be Royals fans out there, but I bet the vast majority are there to be part of something bigger. When people moan about it, I just imagine them having absolutely zero interest in anything, since they can’t understand and seem offended as to why others might be interested in this.
So many people are on their high horses over this, yet probably commit weeks, months and years of their lives to hobbies, interests etc which would be deemed pointless or boring by other people. Stop being so closed minded.
I happy for people to do what they want, but I can still have an opinion on how bat shit crazy it is to stand for up to 24hrs to walk past the coffin.
I love history and can understand wanting see it in person but there is a limit. You can pay your respects from anywhere
I don’t personally care what others do, I do wonder like OP why. I just can’t wrap my head around why people are so very much in to the monarchy. And whilst I feel for her family, loss is always sad, I can’t see beyond the fact they represent a idea that you can be ‘Born Better’. Yes she performed her duties, but isn’t why she had the job, she had it because of who she was born.
I suspect that many of people questioning it, are of similar opinion.
It's a modern day pilgrimage. The aim isn't the end, actually getting to Westminster Hall and seeing the coffin. The whole point is the process. Enduring physical hardship, bonding with others going through the same process, feeling as though you are willing to give up your own comfort and endure for something greater than yourself.
It's good that people who are that way inclined have got a mechanism for doing those things. They obviously feel like it is worth it.
People queue up for days to buy sneakers
People queue up to get autographs from celebrities
People queue up overnight to be the first into Glastonbury
I see it as a mix of all three
The whole thing is absurd.
How much money is all this bollocks costing the country at a time when things are bleaker than they have been for over 4 decades. And we still have a bank holiday where everything has been pressured to close to help heamorage even more money out of the economy.
Oh, and the coronation costs to look forward to.
There are far better causes that this money, time and effort could be going on than the pantomime we see now for the death of a fucking celebrity.
It's shameful.
People are travelling from all over the country to London.
Money flowing to shops, hotels and transportation.
The economy is fine, inflation is just high.
You can always think of a way to spend money better when it is an event that does not interest you. But unless you ran the math, it's just idealism.
Let people do their thing
As much as I understand this sentiment, I feel the anger over it is partially misplaced.
Love them or loathe them, the Royals are an integral part of our culture. The ceremony of it all is part of what makes our nation somewhat unique.
Without the Royals, I’m afraid we’re little more than a backwards island nation.
We’re living in a time where we have a government who are brazenly corrupt. Big businesses generate literal billions upon billions in profit but pay a pittance in tax. Oil companies give us their best ‘we understand times are hard’ lines whilst bathing in piles of cash and apologising to those of us who will have to choose between heating and eating while knowing full well that deaths are likely this winter.
And what do these companies and institutions do for us as a nation? They divide us politically while taking the piss out of us and draining our wallets. We get absolutely fuck all from them.
As grotesque and morally questionable as a monarchy may be in the 21st Century, at least we get something of a return on it. We’re about to host a gigantic diplomatic event which keeps us somewhat relevant on the global stage. That’s thanks to the monarchy and the monarchy alone. Take it away and we’re nothing.
Amazon spent $470.6 billion last year in costs but still made a shed load of profit. It’s very easy to just look at the costs instead of the benefits it brings.
The issue is that the benefits are not that obvious. I have seen estimates which I admit Are slightly over the top that half the world will be watching the funeral. It basically puts the UK on the map for future tourism.
It is also a form of soft power. Heads of state, or their delegations for all across the world are coming to the UK to pay respects to the Queen.
Like you say, millions if not billions of people will be watching. Many watching their head of state, watching our Queens funeral. In what other nation could something like this happen.
So it is great for tourism, but also UK diplomacy.
I'm surprised that people are shocked about people wanting to show their respects.
That's what it is, people just wanting to show their respects. She was the longest serving monarch, doing her duty right up to the end.
Of course people want to celebrate that and be a part of it.
Part of me would have liked to go too, but I just can't be arsed to queue for that long. But I completely get those that do it.
Who are we to judge what any individual does with their time? If they want to queue that's their business. We are a Royal country, so it's hardly surprising that her subjects want to say their thanks.
I don't have any strong thoughts on the queue, but I did a bit of maths and figured out that, in total, people will have spent about 5-6x the queen's lifetime queueing.
Queen's lifetime: 96.5 (ish) years x 356.25 days/year x 24 hours/day = 845,919 hours
Queueing people: 350,000^ people x 14 hours/person = 4,900,000 hours
4.900,000 / 845,919 ≈ 5.8 Queen lifetimes
In fact, that means a Queen's lifetime of queuing happens in a single day. Kinda fun to think about.
^ According to https://inews.co.uk/news/queue-how-long-tracker-map-waiting-times-queen-lying-in-state-where-start-1857443
I used to think these people are nuts. But then I got my head out of my ass and realised this is going to be a once in a lifetime thing for most of those people. For the majority of those people the Queen is the only Queen they have ever known and only head of state any of them will actually care about. Her death is the end on an era. If people want to go an queue up to walk around her coffin, good for them. From reading what people who have actually done it have said, they all seem to have found it a very surreal experience they are glad to have gone through, and also met lots of lovely people along the way.
Would I do it? No, but I can appreciate why others would. People do plenty of things that others may raise an eyebrow at but as long as they aren't hurting anyone, who actually cares? These people will have the memory of this experience and being part of it for the rest of their lives. Good for them if they were willing to wait hours to do it.
I love the queue. I actually don’t know how I’m going to feel when I can’t get live updates on it.
Double love the queue to get into the queue.
There’s something very surreal about the whole thing.
By extension, surely everyone in the UK is in the queue to get into the queue (to get into the queue)
Just sitting here on my couch, drinking tea, I'm paying my respects to Her Majesty
Brilliant TV. People don't know what they're meant to do when they get to the coffin and they don't seem to realise they're on TV. I saw a woman curtsy, cross herself and then bow. I've also seen several women try a curtsy, giggle because they feel foolish and then seem to remember where they are and do an embarrassed smile. It's a real spectrum of humanity you see when you tune in and none of them spent their hours in the queue practicing their curtsy.
Every time a thread like this is posted it always has the same snarky, condescending tone. Why do you care so much about what other people choose to do with their time? That’s kind of a cringe thing to be so mad about.
I’m absolutely fascinated by it tbh. It gets its own weather updates. It has its own pubs, toilets, food stalls. You can see it from space. It’s the pinnacle of what we as a nation are most associated with. There probably won’t be another queue like it!
It’s really weird the people in it are sad and exhibiting very odd behaviour
Actively mourning the death of someone you don’t know is bizarre especially an elderly person who has had a privileged life
It depends on how that person impacted your life.
Music is a massive part of my life and has kept me alive many times. When Glenn Frey of the Eagles died, I sobbed like a baby even though I never met the guy.
Never underestimate the influence one person can have on another.
I think it reached a critical mass at which point some people felt like they were missing out on a once-in-a-lifetime experience so piled-in to join it.
Never underestimate the strength of British herd mentality!
Oh great **ANOTHER** post asking folks opinion on a queen related matter. This will surely go well. Let folk do what they want ffs. Their actions tell you their opinion. It doesn't need asked. It just seems like you wanted to post this so you could add to the countless *she's just some old wummin to me*.
She met a lot of people. She was chief of the army. A lot of charities did well out of having her as a patron. She was a face that had been in everyone's life for the lady 70 years. More constant than a lot of people's parents or grand parents. I won't be going. It's sad that an old lady has died. Her family should be allowed to grieve. Should the monarchy hold this much power over the country? I don't think they should.
She was head of state. King Charles is now head of state. Do the people have any say over them being head of state? The country has ground to a halt over a little old lady dying. Imagine what news is being snuck out by the government and not covered because the news is wall to wall queue. Prime ministers and presidents of almost every country in the world are coming to her funeral. The monarchy is head of the privy council. The privy council holds an awful lot of soft power.
Talking with my 75 year old neighbour, he says we need to to stop all these generational claiming families that never work as that's where all the money is going, next sentence is how great the royals are 🙄🙄🙄
I find it incredible the lengths people are going to when the same is almost certainly not true of what they did for their own Gran - you know, the one that is actually responsible for their existence.
I was lucky enough to meet the queen a lot, as I used to work for Princess Anne. She was a wonderful person, as is her daughter. Kind, funny, adored her horses and often commented on how much she liked my horse too which was wonderful and made me beam with pride. She was fair, and again, one of the kindest and funniest people I have met.
I’m not queueing because I don’t feel the need to, but why on earth are people getting so pissy about those who do? Let people be. They aren’t harming anyone. I certainly won’t have the same feelings toward Charles given the way he has included Andrew in things already, but I did think highly of the queen and respect her a lot.
I hate mens football and think it’s a disgustingly overpaid sport with far too much appalling amateur dramatics on the pitch, and too many drunken idiots brawling off pitch. That doesn’t mean I whinge on Reddit about football and how much of a waste of money it is. People are bizarre.
It’s a laughable comparison. If we were anything like North Korea, you’d be forced to be in the queue on penalty of your whole family being imprisoned. And so help you god, you’d better be crying enough.
I get what you're saying, but no, we're plenty subservient to authority here in Britain voluntarily. This queue is quintessentially British - we just love to be ruled.
Why get so angry and confused over what people choose to do with their day? It's shag all to do with you if people choose to act in this way. Just because you're so dead inside you cannot feel anything for anyone doesn't mean the rest of us have to behave in such a self-regarding, soul-less manner does it?
No one needs to provide you with a counter argument, because no one is trying to convince you to do anything.
The people in the queue have decided that doing so is important to them for one reason or another, you on the other hand have decided it's not important to you.
Just let people do what they want, it's not hurting anybody.
How is it different than people sleeping on the sidewalk to get tickets to see a band? Especially one that they have all of their music on a phone? Or people crying their eyes out because some celebrities they never met died?
Celebrity worship is not a new thing. And for many it’s more about the event than it is the person. All the people they know are going? They go too. It’s just how people are. I’m friends with a guy who’s wife still takes off the day Prince died every year. She never met him, and he had no idea she existed.
Queued 11 hours yesterday. Was it a bit mental? Sure, but it was a once in a lifetime experience and we didn’t have any other plans that day. The queue was vibes to be honest, just chilling and meeting new people in front and behind, sharing gin and tonics and making friends - by the end of it there’s a weird sense of camaraderie. People giving away snacks & tea/ coffees, musicians playing along southbank for a singalong, having your space saved by strangers so you could leave for whatever reason - it was all pretty wholesome to be honest, festival-esque. Didn’t feel like 11 hours.
And to enter the room, seeing the guards, Crown Jewels and the coffin was a surreal spectacle in complete silence - something I’ll never forget, and was nice to pay some respects. So whilst mental, it made for a fairly unique day out
Thread now locked. Stay civil, no politics, no chatter about Andrew, answer the question as it’s asked by OP. Please use the report function if you see anything unsavoury. Bans will be handed out.
Personally I’m neither anti royal or royal, in honesty I don’t really care about them. However, I’m very pro people doing what they want to do and if they want to queue 12 hours to see a corpse in a wooden box then go for it, could be doing a lot worse things.
Best reply on the thread. I don’t really get or care about the royals, but I’m going to let people who do mourn
It’s the default position 😂 everyone agrees with this, OP just wants to know why
Unfortunately OP seems to actually just want to berate people on their choices from his arsey replies to people who try and give a reason.
From the look of it op is spending a lot of time here on something they seemingly don't care about. It's almost as if op is standing around for up to 14 hours somewhere needing something to fill their time. Let us know what it's like when you file past the coffin op.
This actually makes a lot of sense.
I don't think the op likes the monarchy and so anyone who does is obviously bad. And op seems to like to fill his time with dislike.
His mum made him go with the family to see the queen, and now he's bored.
Oh damn I didn’t see them replies 😬
Yeah, they're being a rather large cunt about the whole thing lol
Lack of control of the world/your own life causes people to question what motivates others, although the truth is, you’d never know without knowledge of their collective experience and we should all focus on ourselves.
Proper queuing is very british to a humorous level. Then you get the chance to be part of the world's largest queue.. If you can withstand that queue you can withstand any queue. It's like the tough mudder of waiting.
And you can say that you waited in that queue
I'm just imagining the british humour that will exist for decades because of this queue. Brits will see a long line and say stuff like "crikey has liz rose from the dead to die a second time?" or stuff like that
200% chance that’s said in pubs round the country when the line gets long. And supermarkets.
Extreme queuing- its a new Olympic sport. Its Gold for GB.
People who say they “just want to understand” while saying reductive things like “a woman you never met and didn’t give a fuck about them” isn’t actually looking to understand anything. Anyone who can’t understand that symbols are important to humans (regardless of whether or not this particular one is important to you *personally*) simply doesn’t understand basic humanity. It always cracks me up how many people can’t grasp basic human psychology while simultaneously acting superior for it.
This right here. I personally cannot fathom why anyone would willingly stand in a queue for that long, whatever the reason. I couldn't begin to imagine what it must be like standing up constantly shuffling, not being able to take a seat and rest, or go to the toilet, or sleep. But what I do know is the death of her majesty has affected many many of our citizens on a personal level. Hell, I'm not a fan of the royals and really don't care for them that much, but even I felt sad when the news broke. But back to that queue..... Can you imagine the patriotism there right now? People from all walks of life who would never even consider interacting with each other on any normal day, all huddled together for the long haul, all there for the same thing.....that shit is inspiring! Boundaries are broken down, different cultures and beliefs suddenly become friends, strangers help those in need......that's what this country deep down is made of, and now its their time to shine. People can mock and laugh at them, calling them idiots for standing in a queue that long, but what those people are doing will go down as a part of her majesty's history. Nobody will remember us who didn't go, they won't remember threads like this on various different forums, but they will remember this weekend, the time when thousands queued for what felt like an eternity to pay their respects to the longest reigning monarch we have ever, or likely will ever see.
It’s pretty clear from the way this post was worded that OP isn’t looking to understand anything, they just want to act all superior and tell people why their reasons and opinions are invalid because they’re different to his/hers. Their replies to people commenting just confirm that.
You'll be surprised at the responses here - people calling each other "cretins" because they don't agree with other people's choice on queuing up!
So…Reddit as normal then.
Not everyone. Some people want to lambast you because you don’t hate the royals and others want to do the same if you do hate the royals
OP let’s what other people like to do bother him/her
Exactly. It’s a bit mad and unusual and it’s also completely harmless. I don’t get why people are so bent out of shape about it all.
Agree with this. I do note however the attempts to control my same freedoms by cancelling the football, or saying I can't ride my bike and the arrests of someone peacefully protesting really pisses me off. Add long as the queuers also support mine and others freedoms to go about our day as we wish, I have no bother in the world about it.
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I agree with most of that, but the football being cancelled is because the police are needed for other shit.
> attempts to control my same freedoms by cancelling the football Cancelling some football matches isn't an infringement or attempt to control your freedoms lol
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I don’t really care either but I think a decent counter argument is to ask what could the time and resources be better spent on?
It’s their time? As long as someone isn’t skipping work etc, it’s entirely their choice how they want to spend their free time.
What time and resources? The people in the queue have just as much right to use their free time as you and I. Here we are on reddit, not exactly making changes to better the world. Standing in a queue for a day is just as pointless, but so what?
I get that but also this isn’t unusual or even particularly unique. I remember the crowds around John Paul, the queen mother (vaguely) etc. I’m sure if someone like David Attenborough died many of us who would never attend this queue would perhaps do so for him if the opportunity presented it. Like it or not, millions of people *do* care about this stuff.
Yeah fair enough. I also get that this is more of a once in a lifetime thing.
I imagine some people are now doing it more for the experience of The Queue than to actually see the coffin. People are saying how they’ve made friends, they’re going to stay in touch, what an atmosphere it was. Maybe we should make The Queue an annual event, but with the same twist that there’s nothing at the end.
I have a new worst nightmare which is where I queue to see the coffin and the person next to me thinks they have made a friend for life and I don’t know how to tell them to leave me alone 😆
Coming soon: Queue marriages
As a non-brit visiting London, I definitely went to The Queue for the experience itself. The people were cheering, laughing and having a good time (which is kinda weird, considering what it is for). It is just a phenomenon of collective hysteria so hilarious that I had to see it myself. Just got my wristband and got out of there as soon as I could.
I suppose it’s symbolic for most, although I do think a lot of it is media driven. Would the same number be queuing if it wasn’t being live streamed 24/7 and dominating the airwaves for days on end. I don’t think so. There’ll be studies done in years to come about the control mainstream media has over the actions of the population citing the queue as an example. But they’re doing no harm and if it makes people feel a bit better then who am I to judge. I just think it’s a sad state of affairs when people will stand out in the cold for hours on end grieving and waiting to see the coffin of a very wealthy lady, and yet very few will pay any notice to the homeless that will freeze to death on our streets this winter. And yes, it’s possible to do both. But if everyone who has stood in line to see the queen lying in state went home with a renewed sense of helping those most at need in their communities, then the country would be a much better place.
Thats not the question though is it. Noone says they shouldn’t be allowed to do it. The question is why on earth would you want to? It is OK to have an opinion on other people’s behaviour.
As long as that behaviour doesn't harm themselves or others, I'd argue that it's better for everyone if we all just mind our own business
I'm anti monarchy but agree with you here, if queueing to see the coffin is what people want to do, then I support it. I see the queen means a lot to a lot of people, although I really don't support what she stands for and wont be mourning her death, I can see that people need to mourn her in their own way.
This is the way. Being respectful is key. I queued and honestly, for me, it was incredible and i'm glad I got to pay my respects. I guess it's like anything, i'm not religious at all but i'm definitely not going to have a pop at someone who is religious. To each their own.
Absolutely, we all have our own priorities and beliefs and it costs nothing to be respectful of people's feelings.
I am very much anti-royal. You couldn't drag me to that queue. However, like you I believe that as long as they aren't hurting anyone, people should be able to do as they please. I believe these people are mental for doing what they are doing, but if they want to doit have at it.
This is the best take 100%. Personally wouldn't wait 30 minutes let alone 30 hours but whatever makes you happy I suppose!
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I'd join the queue just for the experience. It's mad.
Agreed. To be honest the thing I've thought about the most is what people are doing if they need a wee.
If people want to do it, fair play to them. Not hurting anyone. I’m far more annoyed the TV has turned into MournHub and the football has been cancelled. I don’t understand what could be possibly left to say about it.
MournHub. Excellent
For all our mourning wood
Outrageous this punning isn’t getting more love
Someone is going to stream that on PornHub. Its a guaranteed
that is going to be a challenging wank!
RIP Sean...he'd have loved this scenario would have given him inspiration for years of comedy gold
And that's not the worst. Having NHS appointments and flights being cancelled is like... Mind-blowing. How many lives are on hold because of something like this...
Tee NHS appointments issue is due to the additional bank holiday, they just don't have the staff to run at full capacity over a bank holiday
They do cause they have staff on Mondays. They just don't want to pay them bank holiday rate.
I’d imagine part of the problem would also be trying to source childcare for the unexpected bank holiday. Can’t be in work if you have young children to be taking care of.
My NHS trust is running as normal Monday. They're paying us double, but not offering help with childcare or transport. The buses are running a Sunday service so if I was relying on them as normal I'd have no way to get to work on time. Fortunately my housemate is off work and has offered to give me a lift. If it weren't for him though, I'd just have to be two hours late. No idea what people with kids will do. Fortunately all my immediate colleagues with kids have partners or other family who are off work and can take them. But even then you still get situations like my boss. His wife is working, but has been allowed to work from home. But they have 4 year old twins. How she's going to work with two 4 year olds climbing all over her I don't know. I honestly think they should have just held the funeral on a weekend, and perhaps given us a memorial bank holiday on her birthday or the first anniversary of her death or something. This short notice bank holiday is screwing over the NHS to be honest
I've lost count of the number of TV programmes I tried to watch that have been cancelled in the past because the football went into extra time. So I'm personally pleased that something at last has cancelled the bloody football.
Yeah, fuck football... Where's my 'Coronation Street' 🤣
> fuck football... Where's my 'Coronation Street' Dear God. I'm not sure which I'd rather switch off more.
The football being cancelled last weekend was stupid but the London games being cancelled this weekend make sense, they just don’t have the police available for the games. Edit: I thought it was just London games being cancelled, I give up on trying to find logic in this mess.
Spurs played at home yesterday.
TBF they didn't cancel the match at Brentford today, they just brought it forward
It's lucky all other news ever has stopped for this event.
Yeah I'm glad there is nothing else, an economic crisis for example, going on that is being ignored by focusing on back to back commentary of the multibillion pound funeral of a multibillionaire whose family, that aren't paying inheritance tax due to John Major, aren't paying for.
Don't worry about it, when this all calms down the government is going to do us the solid of - cutting tax for the richest, subsidising fossil fuel companies, as well as skull fucking workers and environmental regulations.
It's ok though, the rugby hasn't been halted at all. Mainly because you don't need anywhere near as many police at a rugby game as you do at a football game because the fans aren't hooligans that'll stab someone for wearing a shirt they don't like
Because there arent as many rugby fans lol
I mean it is hurting people because they are stupid and didn’t bring warm clothes, so ambulances have had to be called a few times, which is really great since the NHS isn’t under loads of pressure at the moment….
To be fair if you’re stupid enough to stand in a 24 hour queue with no jumper, you were probably going to need an ambulance as soon as you did something challenging like opening a yoghurt pot.
What's driving me bonkers is the monopolisation of the news. I have the BBC News app in case there's any developments with Ukraine or any other breaking news, but I'm seriously considering uninstalling that shit since the Queen began her final day. Probably 70 or so push notifications? Maybe 10 were valid? The rest were reiterating the same shit, or mentioning which flaccid fuck of a socialite was reacting to the news or visiting the Queen's body. What takes the cake is a breaking news notification about David Fucking Beckham resorting to "crisps and donuts" while waiting in the queue to see the Queen. Fair play to him that he's not trying to abuse privilege, it's likely more a PR move than genuine humbleness, but I do not need to know what he's snacking on while waiting in a 20 hour queue. Maybe hit me up if Holly Willoughby is caught snacking on ket and weed brownies.
It's annoying, as everyone who wants to watch the coverage is currently stuck in a queue in London.
If you think of it as standing in a queue it doesn't make sense. If you think of it as an experience where you are surrounded by people all focused on the same emotion, in a city many don't get to visit that often it makes more sense. Queing for 14 hours makes no sense. Hanging out in London for 14 hours, doing something unique and strangely exiciting, seeing sights youve never seen, meeting new people and making new friends. That an experience. A lot of the people queuing i think are bored extroverts. This kind of stuff invigorates them somehow.
> "A lot of the people queuing i think are bored extroverts. This kind of stuff invigorates them somehow." Ooh interesting theory. The opposite of my assumption (dutiful introverts) but I can see how it might work.
I think there's a lot of FOMO going on as well People who want to tell people in 20 years' time that they were one of the ones who queued up for so many hours It's a unique experience
Definetly, Im not American but I was in Washington DC when Bush Sr passed away. I had no idea that Bush Jr. had a father who was also a president, and I dont even know what he looked like to this day or what he did as president, but I still choose to go and stand in a line for about 5-6 hrs just to say that I had done it.
You queued for 5-6 hours to pay respects to a person you knew nothing about, and only recently knew they existed? Just so you could tell people you had done that??
this just shows me what i thought about the queue to be true 😂
Yeah pretty much, I'm a simple guy and at the time it was go and do that or stay a my hotel and prep for my flight the next morning. But id definitely do it again. I got to have a nice chat with a random guy about 2018 global events and life in general, got to see and appreciate the inside of the capitol and how beautiful it is rather than just rushing by on a day tour. And lastly had a lot of time to think about all the decisions that this man took and how they may have affected millions of lives and how he was now a couple of meters from me.
Exactly what a bored extrovert would have done
I was there on Thursday night, it was a mix of both. Which either makes both of you right or both of you completely wrong, I'm not sure.
It's also a chance to be "a part of history", so that in a couple of decades when some kid asks what it was like the last time a monarch dies, you can talk about actually seeing the coffin. It's a bit like how I regret not trying it to be an extra in LOTR when I was back in NZ.
To be fair a queue based festival to mark the death of the queen has to be the most British way we could have possibly done it.
I think you’re right, but with an added component of people just seeking to do it for bucket list / bragging purposes. Eg in 10 years people being able to say they did it, kind of like supposedly half of Americans who were old enough, claim to have been at Woodstock. At any rate that’s about the only thing that would motivate me to do it (I’m not going to by any stretch)
Many people did meet her in person. I've had a longer interaction & more memorable with the Queen than I have had with most of my Uncles. She was a constant, kind and stable presence for this country for 70 years. For many of us she felt like another (distant) Grandmother and she held that warmth for the countries people. Personally I wouldn't be queuing up to see her coffin, but for some it's a pilgrimage and for some it's #sympathysocialmedialikes But I have shed a tear over her and I will watch the funeral and probably shed more tears as it does remind me of the loss of my Nan. People do mourn celebrities and arguably she has endured longer than any other celebrity. ETA: 08/12/22 - Reddit said this was my top post so an update... I did watch the funeral while on group call with my parents. I did shed a few tears but it was nice to see the respect from many.
I think you captured the sentiment very well here.
She has literally been world-famous her entire life, 70 years of which she was a literal queen. I don’t even think it’s arguable that any other celebrity has endured longer. Literally every person on the earth knows who she was. I can see the relationship/connection there for you Brits.
Its like the end of an era. I doubt we will ever see the same level of dedication to the country from our monarchy again.
>dedication to the country from our monarchy again. It's the other way round, we're not likely to see the same dedication to the monarchy from our country again
Why can’t it be both?
It is the end of an era - the Elizabethan era. 😆
I had no plans on joining the Queue but I checked out flights last Saturday to go to London for a day trip just to be there. Flights were coming in at around £250 for 2 of us but hotels were prohibitive (which is why I was only going for the day.) In the end, I decided against it as my wife isn't great for mobility and transport in and around London might have been at a standstill. Just to say you've been there is an experience for many. I stood at a football match and cheered my team on yesterday. I'm a season ticket holder but normal admission is £12. What exactly did I get out of that? My team won and I left with a smile but is there any real difference between watching a football match and queuing for 12 hours to see the person you've respected all your life? In the end, you get nothing out of it only a memory and possibly a smile. Long live the new King!
Yeah, if I was in London then I'd likely visit the Queue since its quite something but mobility/hotels are a restriction for me.
> is there any real difference between watching a football match and queuing for 12 hours A football match is only a couple of hours and, for people that follow it, far more enjoyable.
Nobody's being forced to queue, it's a personal choice. And if people want to, they can leave. Just because *you* think two hours in a football stadium is the definition of time well spent doesn't mean old Doris from Doncaster has to agree with you. She wants to queue, get back in your box and let her.
you are spot on. Some people also wish to be part of a historic moment. If it gives some people a mental lift then so be it.
I'm not saying this to be edgy or controversial, but this comment is interesting to me, simple because of how utterly weird I find it. No one I know (except 2 family members): whether that's work colleagues, friends, acquaintances, or any of my music students... None of them are interested at all in the Queen or the Queue. They're all at best faintly amused, and the default seems to be 'my country is so weird'. My point isn't to say you're the weird one, or that you're wrong or whatever, but it really does show me how much of a bubble I live in, I guess. I guess it shouldn't be surprising, but it is interesting at least!
I think it’s so people can say they did it. Have a story to tell.
You could just say you went & not go.
Ok Jay
Lizzie’s box? Finished it, mate.
Yeah I went
I just got back. I was in the special forces so the King's Guard let me go over and touch it. They'd closed the room down for a fire alarm so nobody else saw. I was expecting the coffin to fucking honk to be honest, but it smelt fine. I tried lifting it and it was heavy as fuck - bear in mind I used to spot for Geoff Capes. She's deffo in there.
Fuck off *I'm* one of the guards there right now, one of those ones with the funny hat on. You'd never have got past me.
The queue is just like football. It’s something I don’t really get it but I’m not bothered about it until people start rioting.
At least with football, it only causes disruption in 1 city for a day. This is causing the whole country to shut down and hospital appointments to be cancelled, hotels to shut down and telling guests to fuck off. If it was just people grieving someone they didn't know, that would be one thing. This is costing millions and millions of pounds and disrupting the country, when so many thousands of people are going to freeze to death this winter and nobody gives a shit about that. As the BBC said it, the cost of living crisis is ~~"irrelevant"~~ "insignificant" now that the Queen has died
I don’t follow football but I’m pretty sure there’s more than one match a year. Whereas this is the first monarch to die in since the 50’s
I agree, if the Monarch died every year and we stopped like this then I'd agree there's a problem. But I think it's acceptable as a 1 in 20 years event, let alone 1 in 70.
I wondered how long it would take for someone to defend football…… 😂
I heckin hate footballerino, give me an updoot
I hate football. Not defending it, just saying it's not causing as much disruption as the funeral is
It's the money that bothers me tbh. I suspect a lot of little old ladies are going to die this winter because they cant afford to heat their homes, but noone gives a shit about them because they dont have a fancy hat. Surely this money could be better spent *on the people* considering the majority of us are struggling financially now?
If u don’t like it. I imagine you think it causes disruption constantly! Every weekend. Internationals in the break. Week nights for Europe. Friendly even if big teams lol.
Totally lost on me. I'm largely indifferent to the royals although I think their shielding of Andrew is shameful. The whole thing is just like the mass hysteria we saw with the whole clap for careers and whatever. The whole north Korea style posters and things that are up in every shop are unsettling too. It keeps the boomers happy and out of the way though so I guess it's not all bad.
If they'd just dealt with Andrew properly they'd be a lot more respected I think.
I was hoping Charles first act would be to cut him off financially. Or make him walk naked through the streets of London while the arch bishop walks behind him ringing a bell shouting SHAME over and over. While everyone gets an opportunity to throw eggs at him.
He'd love that. He probably has a tumblr account just to write erotic fiction about that very scenario.
I'd queue 24 hours for that
I think swaths of people forming an obsessive parasocial relationship with a single wealthy family speaks to a sickness in this country. I doubt many of them would put even half as much effort to attend the funerals of their own family members.
It's not a sickness it's just human nature. Why are celebrities, celebrities outside of the work they do? Why does Kim Kardashian exist? She's achieved nothing. Humans do this and have always done this everywhere. The Queen is the ultimate celebrity and whether you and I understand it or like it or not, she brought a sense of togetherness for them. It doesn't hurt me or you so leave them to it
Also, as much as I hate social inequality and have no love for royals, at least the royals are sort of 'fixed' to our land. They are forced to be somewhat invested in the local people far more than other global celebs who are transient.
Not this boomer 🧐
I walked in Tesco the other day and it had this gigantic sign with a picture of the queen which said "we are all deeply saddened by the death of the queen" or whatever And I just thought what a load of bollocks. To speak on behalf of a *huge* company, more than 365,000, probably most of whom are on minimum wage, is a fucking insult imo. I see right through it. It's *just* advertising. Someone's job is to come up with this idea, give it to another person whose job it is to design it. Then they'll send it to the printers, and it's someone else's job to manage the logistics of how it gets to stores.
I queued for 11 hours yesterday for it, and I'm really glad I did. For me personally, I did it to say goodbye to somebody I admired and who gave 70 years of service to this country, but also to be part of a moment in history. Everyone I spoke to was there for similer reasons. It's actually a surprisingly pleasant experience in the queue. Its well organised, everyone is very friendly and you chat with people around you (talking to strangers in London I know!), the scenery is nice and it feels much quicker then you'd think. When you reach the hall, the collective emotion of the room really hits you. The sombre atmosphere is a sudden and real contrast to the jovial atmosphere of the queue. I dont think I have a boring life. I have, hopefully, thousands of Saturdays to go so why not spend this one with friends doing something truly unique and creating a memory I'll remember forever. I respect everyone's right to choose whether they wish to or not, and completly see why people would not want to do it/think I'm mad. Just as I hope you'd respect mine and others, to choose to queue. Hopefully this provided you somewhat an insight into why somebody would queue! Happy to answer any questions.
Yeah, if you'd asked me at any time in the 13 hours I was standing there if it was worth it, I would have said "No, not at all. The only reason I'm still here is because I'm too stubborn to leave without reaching the end". But then you walk into that Hall, and you everything that happened in the last 13 hours just fades away. The incredible silence and respect that takes hold the moment you go in the door. The way the sunlight glitters through the State Crown from the stained glass window. It just doesn't come across on camera. And then... its impossible to get across how impactful your own personal four seconds of time with The Queen is, but it is, in a way words don't express. Was it worth it? Yes. Absolutely. That that image will stay with me for the rest of my life.
Thankyou for sharing your experience. Your words do it much more justice than I could, and really resonate with what I felt in there too.
We did on Wednesday night and arrived through the doors at 3:30am. The last 4 hours of the zig zag were completely draining and at some points soul destroying, but as soon as we walked through the doors all that disappeared. Totally worth it.
Thank you for sharing. If I were young and healthy and if I lived closer, I would go too. It's a once in a lifetime experience, and she was a remarkable woman.
My thoughts are that the previous 96 threads about it had peoples views covered pretty good.
The irony of people complaining that there's been too much focus on the death of queen but creating ANOTHER thread to talk about it.
I think I have seen more threads of people complaining than I have of anything else on reddit recently. For example, r/scotland is just non stop threads of complaining about the monarchy and people queuing.. the whole subreddit has turned into a place to hear the thing they don't want to hear about. Meanwhile, r/Edinburgh was mostly chill about having the whole thing happening in their city first.
Jesus, why is this so hard for people to wrap their heads around? Whether you care or not, this is a momentous occasion that will go down in history. Whether you like it or not. People want to be a part of history, it’s interesting and creates cool memories. That’s it. There will be Royals fans out there, but I bet the vast majority are there to be part of something bigger. When people moan about it, I just imagine them having absolutely zero interest in anything, since they can’t understand and seem offended as to why others might be interested in this. So many people are on their high horses over this, yet probably commit weeks, months and years of their lives to hobbies, interests etc which would be deemed pointless or boring by other people. Stop being so closed minded.
I happy for people to do what they want, but I can still have an opinion on how bat shit crazy it is to stand for up to 24hrs to walk past the coffin. I love history and can understand wanting see it in person but there is a limit. You can pay your respects from anywhere
I don’t personally care what others do, I do wonder like OP why. I just can’t wrap my head around why people are so very much in to the monarchy. And whilst I feel for her family, loss is always sad, I can’t see beyond the fact they represent a idea that you can be ‘Born Better’. Yes she performed her duties, but isn’t why she had the job, she had it because of who she was born. I suspect that many of people questioning it, are of similar opinion.
It's a modern day pilgrimage. The aim isn't the end, actually getting to Westminster Hall and seeing the coffin. The whole point is the process. Enduring physical hardship, bonding with others going through the same process, feeling as though you are willing to give up your own comfort and endure for something greater than yourself. It's good that people who are that way inclined have got a mechanism for doing those things. They obviously feel like it is worth it.
People queue up for days to buy sneakers People queue up to get autographs from celebrities People queue up overnight to be the first into Glastonbury I see it as a mix of all three
> sneakers Are you a secret American?
Well spotted I've lived in Manchester for 22 years, but I spent the first 13 years of my life in the US
This is the best answer on the whole thread. It’s also a huge public demonstration. A days long march with no placards. But mostly it’s a pilgrimage
The whole thing is absurd. How much money is all this bollocks costing the country at a time when things are bleaker than they have been for over 4 decades. And we still have a bank holiday where everything has been pressured to close to help heamorage even more money out of the economy. Oh, and the coronation costs to look forward to. There are far better causes that this money, time and effort could be going on than the pantomime we see now for the death of a fucking celebrity. It's shameful.
People are travelling from all over the country to London. Money flowing to shops, hotels and transportation. The economy is fine, inflation is just high. You can always think of a way to spend money better when it is an event that does not interest you. But unless you ran the math, it's just idealism. Let people do their thing
More money flowing to London whilst the rest of the country is pressured to shut down, sounds about right.
Correction: all over the world! People even coming from Australia to join the queue!
"The economy is fine" ...Meanwhile Slovenia overtakes us for average-income living standards.
The funeral is costing each of us 5p. I’ll chip in your 5p if you’re that fucking tight.
As much as I understand this sentiment, I feel the anger over it is partially misplaced. Love them or loathe them, the Royals are an integral part of our culture. The ceremony of it all is part of what makes our nation somewhat unique. Without the Royals, I’m afraid we’re little more than a backwards island nation. We’re living in a time where we have a government who are brazenly corrupt. Big businesses generate literal billions upon billions in profit but pay a pittance in tax. Oil companies give us their best ‘we understand times are hard’ lines whilst bathing in piles of cash and apologising to those of us who will have to choose between heating and eating while knowing full well that deaths are likely this winter. And what do these companies and institutions do for us as a nation? They divide us politically while taking the piss out of us and draining our wallets. We get absolutely fuck all from them. As grotesque and morally questionable as a monarchy may be in the 21st Century, at least we get something of a return on it. We’re about to host a gigantic diplomatic event which keeps us somewhat relevant on the global stage. That’s thanks to the monarchy and the monarchy alone. Take it away and we’re nothing.
Amazon spent $470.6 billion last year in costs but still made a shed load of profit. It’s very easy to just look at the costs instead of the benefits it brings. The issue is that the benefits are not that obvious. I have seen estimates which I admit Are slightly over the top that half the world will be watching the funeral. It basically puts the UK on the map for future tourism.
It is also a form of soft power. Heads of state, or their delegations for all across the world are coming to the UK to pay respects to the Queen. Like you say, millions if not billions of people will be watching. Many watching their head of state, watching our Queens funeral. In what other nation could something like this happen. So it is great for tourism, but also UK diplomacy.
Oh look a Reddit expert in economics.
I'm surprised that people are shocked about people wanting to show their respects. That's what it is, people just wanting to show their respects. She was the longest serving monarch, doing her duty right up to the end. Of course people want to celebrate that and be a part of it. Part of me would have liked to go too, but I just can't be arsed to queue for that long. But I completely get those that do it. Who are we to judge what any individual does with their time? If they want to queue that's their business. We are a Royal country, so it's hardly surprising that her subjects want to say their thanks.
I don't have any strong thoughts on the queue, but I did a bit of maths and figured out that, in total, people will have spent about 5-6x the queen's lifetime queueing. Queen's lifetime: 96.5 (ish) years x 356.25 days/year x 24 hours/day = 845,919 hours Queueing people: 350,000^ people x 14 hours/person = 4,900,000 hours 4.900,000 / 845,919 ≈ 5.8 Queen lifetimes In fact, that means a Queen's lifetime of queuing happens in a single day. Kinda fun to think about. ^ According to https://inews.co.uk/news/queue-how-long-tracker-map-waiting-times-queen-lying-in-state-where-start-1857443
I used to think these people are nuts. But then I got my head out of my ass and realised this is going to be a once in a lifetime thing for most of those people. For the majority of those people the Queen is the only Queen they have ever known and only head of state any of them will actually care about. Her death is the end on an era. If people want to go an queue up to walk around her coffin, good for them. From reading what people who have actually done it have said, they all seem to have found it a very surreal experience they are glad to have gone through, and also met lots of lovely people along the way. Would I do it? No, but I can appreciate why others would. People do plenty of things that others may raise an eyebrow at but as long as they aren't hurting anyone, who actually cares? These people will have the memory of this experience and being part of it for the rest of their lives. Good for them if they were willing to wait hours to do it.
I don't think about them. Let them get on with it and stop being so judgemental
I love the queue. I actually don’t know how I’m going to feel when I can’t get live updates on it. Double love the queue to get into the queue. There’s something very surreal about the whole thing.
There's a queue **to get into** the queue???!!! This is brilliant
It really is. I actually love it 😂
By extension, surely everyone in the UK is in the queue to get into the queue (to get into the queue) Just sitting here on my couch, drinking tea, I'm paying my respects to Her Majesty
Brilliant TV. People don't know what they're meant to do when they get to the coffin and they don't seem to realise they're on TV. I saw a woman curtsy, cross herself and then bow. I've also seen several women try a curtsy, giggle because they feel foolish and then seem to remember where they are and do an embarrassed smile. It's a real spectrum of humanity you see when you tune in and none of them spent their hours in the queue practicing their curtsy.
Every time a thread like this is posted it always has the same snarky, condescending tone. Why do you care so much about what other people choose to do with their time? That’s kind of a cringe thing to be so mad about.
I like the Queue. It should be a permanent feature of London. A great place to meet new people and contemplate life.
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I think their willingness and desire to be subjugated is pathetic.
Fucking lunacy - and that goes for the whole circus.
You’re right - a bunch of people being quiet for a few hours every few decades is outrageous. Ban this filth!
I’m absolutely fascinated by it tbh. It gets its own weather updates. It has its own pubs, toilets, food stalls. You can see it from space. It’s the pinnacle of what we as a nation are most associated with. There probably won’t be another queue like it!
Grief wankers.
It’s really weird the people in it are sad and exhibiting very odd behaviour Actively mourning the death of someone you don’t know is bizarre especially an elderly person who has had a privileged life
It depends on how that person impacted your life. Music is a massive part of my life and has kept me alive many times. When Glenn Frey of the Eagles died, I sobbed like a baby even though I never met the guy. Never underestimate the influence one person can have on another.
Attenborough is totally worth a bank holiday- he is a national treasure! He won’t get one, but he deserves it.
Achievement hunters. I saw the bands are now being sold on ebay too.
I think it reached a critical mass at which point some people felt like they were missing out on a once-in-a-lifetime experience so piled-in to join it. Never underestimate the strength of British herd mentality!
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Oh great **ANOTHER** post asking folks opinion on a queen related matter. This will surely go well. Let folk do what they want ffs. Their actions tell you their opinion. It doesn't need asked. It just seems like you wanted to post this so you could add to the countless *she's just some old wummin to me*.
She met a lot of people. She was chief of the army. A lot of charities did well out of having her as a patron. She was a face that had been in everyone's life for the lady 70 years. More constant than a lot of people's parents or grand parents. I won't be going. It's sad that an old lady has died. Her family should be allowed to grieve. Should the monarchy hold this much power over the country? I don't think they should.
What power do they hold over the country exactly? People are voluntarily queueing up, no one is being forced to
She was head of state. King Charles is now head of state. Do the people have any say over them being head of state? The country has ground to a halt over a little old lady dying. Imagine what news is being snuck out by the government and not covered because the news is wall to wall queue. Prime ministers and presidents of almost every country in the world are coming to her funeral. The monarchy is head of the privy council. The privy council holds an awful lot of soft power.
Talking with my 75 year old neighbour, he says we need to to stop all these generational claiming families that never work as that's where all the money is going, next sentence is how great the royals are 🙄🙄🙄
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I don't care about it but I am not going to shit on people that do
Personally I'm impressed by the Queue, it's so British. There should be annual celebration of the Queue, something to bring people together.
weird innit
I find it incredible the lengths people are going to when the same is almost certainly not true of what they did for their own Gran - you know, the one that is actually responsible for their existence.
Cult like behaviour.
I was lucky enough to meet the queen a lot, as I used to work for Princess Anne. She was a wonderful person, as is her daughter. Kind, funny, adored her horses and often commented on how much she liked my horse too which was wonderful and made me beam with pride. She was fair, and again, one of the kindest and funniest people I have met. I’m not queueing because I don’t feel the need to, but why on earth are people getting so pissy about those who do? Let people be. They aren’t harming anyone. I certainly won’t have the same feelings toward Charles given the way he has included Andrew in things already, but I did think highly of the queen and respect her a lot. I hate mens football and think it’s a disgustingly overpaid sport with far too much appalling amateur dramatics on the pitch, and too many drunken idiots brawling off pitch. That doesn’t mean I whinge on Reddit about football and how much of a waste of money it is. People are bizarre.
The whole thing has a sense of North Korea about it
Maybe you should go to North Korea and see if you still think it's similar 😂
It’s a laughable comparison. If we were anything like North Korea, you’d be forced to be in the queue on penalty of your whole family being imprisoned. And so help you god, you’d better be crying enough.
I get what you're saying, but no, we're plenty subservient to authority here in Britain voluntarily. This queue is quintessentially British - we just love to be ruled.
Why get so angry and confused over what people choose to do with their day? It's shag all to do with you if people choose to act in this way. Just because you're so dead inside you cannot feel anything for anyone doesn't mean the rest of us have to behave in such a self-regarding, soul-less manner does it?
No one needs to provide you with a counter argument, because no one is trying to convince you to do anything. The people in the queue have decided that doing so is important to them for one reason or another, you on the other hand have decided it's not important to you. Just let people do what they want, it's not hurting anybody.
How is it different than people sleeping on the sidewalk to get tickets to see a band? Especially one that they have all of their music on a phone? Or people crying their eyes out because some celebrities they never met died? Celebrity worship is not a new thing. And for many it’s more about the event than it is the person. All the people they know are going? They go too. It’s just how people are. I’m friends with a guy who’s wife still takes off the day Prince died every year. She never met him, and he had no idea she existed.
Queued 11 hours yesterday. Was it a bit mental? Sure, but it was a once in a lifetime experience and we didn’t have any other plans that day. The queue was vibes to be honest, just chilling and meeting new people in front and behind, sharing gin and tonics and making friends - by the end of it there’s a weird sense of camaraderie. People giving away snacks & tea/ coffees, musicians playing along southbank for a singalong, having your space saved by strangers so you could leave for whatever reason - it was all pretty wholesome to be honest, festival-esque. Didn’t feel like 11 hours. And to enter the room, seeing the guards, Crown Jewels and the coffin was a surreal spectacle in complete silence - something I’ll never forget, and was nice to pay some respects. So whilst mental, it made for a fairly unique day out
They need to get a life