Two million people have searched for the best place to witness Elizabeth II’s funeral and be part of a historic event in the British monarchy
Elizabeth II’s funeral concludes eleven days of uninterrupted mourning across the United Kingdom, Scotland and the Commonwealth. The expectation was maximum every day and this Monday, the day of the wake, the turnout surpasses all records. The event has 2,200 guests, including 500 heads of state and high-ranking leaders from around the world, but the citizens waiting in the streets and parks of London take the cake.
Some two million people have searched for the best place to attend the funeral and become part of a historic event in the British monarchy. Hundreds of civilians defied the government, which banned overnight camping. But no Londoner – or even the whole world – wanted to risk missing a moment like this. This is the case of Janine Cleere, a 47-year-old resident of Wiltshire, who was camping overnight with two friends. She had never attended a royal event before, but this time was different. He wanted to feel “part of history”, experience the atmosphere and “pay my respects,” he told The Guardian. “She’s all we’ve ever known and no, we don’t have her anymore, it’s very sad. I feel sorry for her and her family for this loss,” he laments.
The overnight wait time was “delicious”. “At 8pm there was a minute of silence and then we had a few drinks,” says this woman, who shared a single sleeping bag with her two friends. Although they appreciate that it wasn’t a cold night, neither because of the circumstances nor because of the expectation, “I haven’t slept at all.” Many people camped in streets and parks at night, although the night was “very quiet,” Cleere says. It was after 7 a.m. when the tents were dismantled and the crowds began to flock. Since then, he notes, “it’s been crazy.”
“The atmosphere is great,” said Sarah Merrick, 569, who traveled very early from Hampshire to arrive at 5.15am at The Mall, Westminster’s main street, between Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square, where the funeral procession took place. Once there, she set up camp for her children, her best friend and her daughter. Surrounded by hundreds of people, they point out that “most people are friendly, but there is a bit of jostling,” says Merrick, who shed tears at the start of the procession.
This Hampshire native is not a monarchist and believes that royalty ‘has a lot to offer this country’. “I have a lot of respect. The queen has been there all my life. It is rare to refer to the king now. She was a wonderful woman, the level of service she provided was so impressive,” he says fondly to the late monarch. In fact, this is not his first rodeo. Merrick also camped for the princess’ wedding in 1972, slept through the night before the anniversary in 1977 and again for the wedding of Charles and Diana in 1985.
Expectations are maximum in this great appointment. The funeral will be televised – 4,000 million people are expected to watch it live – and in more than 100 cinemas across England. It can also be followed in churches, theaters and screens placed in various squares. Between 15,000 and 20,000 people work in the organization, including police officers, aides and volunteers, to accommodate the more than 2,000 guests at the vigil without discomfort — 500 of whom are heads of state and high-ranking leaders from around the world.
“I’m here to say goodbye to my incredible queen and tell her I’ve loved her all my life,” Benny Hamedi, originally from Iran but living in Surrey, south of London, for more than three decades told. The Guardian’. This 55-year-old woman is one of those who queue around Westminster Abbey from early in the morning. Excitedly, she holds a photo of Isabel II with the phrase: ‘I will miss you but I will never forget you, I love you’.
Hamedi was able to hold a brief meeting with King Charles II outside Buckingham Palace while greeting mourners. “I looked into his eyes and said, ‘I’m very sorry for your loss’ and I started crying. I’ve been crying since Thursday,” the woman admits.
During the procession, a wave of applause filled the streets of London. Parents lifted their children onto their shoulders so they could be a part of this historic moment. Until then, the little ones were entertained with mobile devices or toys. Shortly before the funeral procession began, a boy who had to go to the toilet with his family after hours of waiting, asked his father, worried, “We’re not going to lose our seat, are we?”
No one wanted to miss the event. Not even the opportunity to say goodbye to Elizabeth II at the funeral chapel. And it’s that nearly 400,000 people today have passed through Westminster to say their last goodbyes to the late monarch, after waiting miles in line. Like Phil did with his wife, Carolyn. Although “it has nothing to do with the Queen, it is actually our love to stand in line,” he told the BBC. Despite the pain of this gray age in the British nation, humor is not lacking.
Source: La Verdad
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