[Yahoo News report]”I feel it is my responsibility to say goodbye to the Queen in person.” The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II will be open to the public 24 hours a day in Westminster Hall from 5:00 pm on the 14th, British time. A large number of people are waiting in the vicinity early in the morning, and the first one is earlier Arrived two days ago. More than 1,000 volunteers helped maintain order at the scene. Security at Westminster subway station was significantly strengthened at noon. Due to road closures in some places, Transport for London also arranged for ambassadors to assist. The authorities had expected the queuing time to be 30 hours, but some attendees were able to enter after queuing for 8 hours that day, and the order was good.
Text and photo: Liang Keying
There was a military parade when the Queen’s coffin was transferred from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall. After the coffin was delivered to Westminster Hall, the public was allowed to say goodbye. The people who pay homage to the coffin have been extending from Lambeth Bridge to the northeast of the Thames. As of 5:30 p.m. local time, the dragon is 4 kilometers long. The Westminster City Government has also recruited staff to become volunteers. Among them, volunteer Hayden said that this is a historic moment and he decided to help voluntarily. Therefore, starting from the 14th, from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm, the main purpose is to prevent the public from jumping in the queue. What we saw at the scene was that everyone in the queue was given a yellow wristband with a queuing number. In addition, the authorities arranged 500 mobile toilets. There were also snack stalls by the river for the public to eat. The order was generally good. Among them, Kristen, the person in charge of a nearby newspaper stall that has been established for more than 100 years, said that the series of mourning activities has increased the flow. In addition to selling newspapers, the stall also sells postcards and gold coins related to the Queen.
Arrive two days early in the queue: it is the responsibility to say goodbye to the queen in person
Vanessa, a 56-year-old from Sri Lanka, was walking through Limbao Bridge at 11 am on Tuesday (12th) when she accidentally discovered that this was a place for the public to queue. In an interview with a reporter from this website, she mentioned that her great-uncle was knighted by King George V and was invited to attend his coronation ceremony; she took root after coming to the UK to study in 1985, and her daughter was also knighted a few months ago. Chosen as a member of the honor guard for the Queen’s Enthronement Platinum Jubilee, I feel that my family has a destiny with the royal family, so it is my responsibility to say goodbye to the Queen in person. She also said that the Queen is a great monarch. “She treats everyone equally. In her eyes, everyone has equal freedom of belief and religion. And she has done her duty. She has been on the throne for 70 years. I am very saddened by her passing, but I am honored to be able to see her for the last time.” The weather in the UK was cloudy and sunny, and it rained heavily the night before, but fortunately, the volunteers allowed her to rest indoors. She joked that her first experience of “Diejie” was fresh, but Too tired, so I went home to take a sip of hot chocolate and fell asleep.
When the Queen’s mother, The Queen Mother, died 20 years ago, more than 200,000 people lined up outside Westminster Hall to mourn, including Susan, 62, from Hampshire. She also came to mourn the Queen’s death this time. “When I heard the news of her passing, I was very sad and felt that I had to come and say goodbye to her. The Queen accompanied me all my life, and I am very grateful to her.” She choked. .
Waiting time in hours
Since the authorities did not allow the public to wear clothes with political or offensive slogans, most of the public in the queue wore dark clothes. Among them, Mr. Sin, a Hong Kong native who moved to the UK for half a year, arrived at 10:30 yesterday morning and was the 1,445th. Queuing the public. He said that he was born in the British colonial era, and when he was in elementary school, he had the Queen’s head in the classroom. “She is like a nanny who lives next door.” He continued that he did not expect bad news to come soon after celebrating her 70th year on the throne, “I believe this is the only time in my life that I can see the Queen for the last time… I want to thank her for her dedication to her work over the past 70 years, and she was still engrossed in her work until the last moment. I have endless respect for this queen who loves the country.” It was originally estimated that the queue would last at least 12 hours. Finally, Mr. Xian entered at 6:00 pm. , Everyone is safe and guarded, the lady has the ceremony of a lady, he bows to the coffin, and some people blow kisses to the coffin.
The public can watch the farewell until 6:30 am on the 19th, which is also the Queen’s State Funeral Day, which is a British public holiday. Heads of state, including US President Biden, will attend the state funeral. The Queen’s coffin will eventually be buried in the Royal Vault and rest in the King George VI Memorial Chapel inside St George’s Chapel.The British government also establishedOnline Public Memorial Bookletlet the people who were unable to attend write down their final thoughts.