None of them were recognized as royal but had different reasons for coming. We had never met, but we spent the next six hours getting to know each other very well. As marshals walked past us along the river bank, handing us bright yellow wristbands, I would be the 4,251st person in line. Builder Leigh Cooling had traveled from Tadley in Hampshire and arrived with a small bag and a black cap. “My nan and grandfather served in the army so I’m coming for them today. I’m not a huge royal but I appreciate what the Queen has done,” he told me. The atmosphere was happy, people were laughing and chatting, and those passing by might not have guessed that everyone had gathered for a somber occasion. We had been warned that we could wait up to 30 hours in line, although it didn’t seem like many people were prepared for an overnight wait, with some wearing heels, shorts and suits. “I bet we’ll be before midnight,” said James Barber standing behind me. Watch the queen lying in state As we slowly began to move, Leigh called over to another man in line who had been seated, Thony Llaavye. As the four of us started walking towards Westminster, Leigh joked that we were going to be “the crew” and from then on, we seemed to be together. James, who lives in Bicester, said he already had plans to be in London and decided to come to “pay his respects”. “It’s hard to describe, I just felt compelled to leave,” he said. Thony had no particular interest in the royal family, but he admired the queen and wanted to see her one last time. Gin, lager and Wagamamas It was almost 5pm and the queue had stopped, we were in Waterloo. Everyone was looking at Thony’s phone as he played the live feed from inside Westminster Hall. “It’s going to be a breathtaking sight,” James said. Pausing in line is probably one of the only places where you can go to the bathroom or get something to eat, but there is no official system, you rely on your neighbor to save space. As Leigh drank a pint of beer from a nearby kiosk, James returned with a chicken katsu curry from Wagamamas. It wasn’t just our crew fueling up, everyone started putting snacks they had brought in their bags while others drank Pimms and cans of gin and tonic. Under Big Ben and towards St Thomas’ Hospital we realized we were unlikely to wait more than a couple of hours. Even though we knew where we were going, the people walking by the queue look bewildered. Some maybe in the background and others were not fans of the royals. Security tightened as the queue zig-zagged Image: Sunset at Westminster Our conversations ranged from whether pineapple on pizza is acceptable, to the war in Ukraine and our families. As we neared the south side of Lambeth Bridge, our legs began to ache. It had only taken us three hours to get from near London Bridge to the edge of the gardens next to the Palace of Westminster. Security got tight and the queues started to zigzag, that was the biggest part. Although we temporarily lost Thony in the portaloos, we managed to regroup in the gardens. It was impossible to count how many people were behind us, but now we were shuffling. After going through airport-style security checks under bright lights, we knew we were close. As we entered Westminster Hall the queue fell silent, it was time for everyone to come. We walked up a flight of stairs and as we entered the hall, everyone’s shoulders seemed to slump forward. It was impossible to miss the coffin, majestic, regal and raised on a platform. The only noise came from the guards shuffling as they changed. As we went down in two rows, people ran to the coffin, bowed their heads and cried. We left no more than 10 minutes after arriving in the room. Image: Leaving Westminster “It was so worth the wait,” Leigh said as everyone nodded. “I just don’t have anything to say,” Tony added. Everyone hugged before the house and our last picture was taken. Although we started out as strangers that afternoon, we left with a memory that only our “crew” will share.
