The Queue

This last week has been very much about saying goodbye to the Queen. Of course we have also done plenty of other things, but the knowledge that she has been lying in state has always been in the background. Even more so because not one but TWO of our boys joined that massive queue to pay their respects to the Queen. Needless to say Jamie, having the valid excuse of being in New Zealand, was not one of them!

Alasdair was first; he joined it in Bermondsey and queued for eight hours from 6 p.m. on Thursday until just after 2 a.m. on Friday morning, messaging us all the way with updates on his progress. The route went along the riverside then crossed the river at Lambeth Bridge before going into a set of zigzags as it approached Westminster Hall. He let us know that he needed to switch his phone off as he was about to go through security. I was watching the live feed on television but was nervous that I wouldn’t spot him, however Cat (who had gone to bed) came back downstairs just as Ally appeared on the steps at the back of Westminster Hall and pointed him out instantly. He looked so sweet in his grey suit with black tie, with his coat over his arm. We were both excited as we watched him walk past the Queen’s coffin, respectfully bowing his head as he passed, and I took some photos of the screen to send to him.

Later on Friday morning David arrived from Manchester to join the queue. It was much longer by then; he joined it in Southwark Park at 9.45 a.m. which was lucky because it was closed for six hours not long after he joined, to give it a chance to go down a bit. He ended up queueing for fourteen-and-a-half hours! Like Ally, he updated us with his progress, and told us that he was enjoying the friendly atmosphere of the crowd. He had brought his kindle as well as his phone and headphones to help to pass the time but he found that there was so much to look at and people were chatting, so he didn’t need them. I got the message that he was nearly there just before midnight, and at quarter past midnight on Saturday I saw him on the live feed, walking down the steps into the hall. This time the camera, which had been fixed immobile on the whole room when Ally walked through, was zooming around all over the place. Luckily when Davie passed the coffin and bowed his head the camera was recording a close up of the side he was on, so I got some good photos of the screen, but if the camera had homed in on the other side I wouldn’t have seen him at all! 

I was very proud of Ally and Davie for their commitment and respect.