Meanwhile, in the UK, an audience of over 20 million is predicted for the occasion. Six Guardian readers share whether they will be attending, and if so, how, with some hosting events for family and friends and others opting for privacy.
“I feel like I’ve lost a grandparent”
Stefan Krutkowski. Photo: Stefan Kruczkowski “My partner and I will attend the funeral with our dog at our home. I don’t know what emotions we will feel. We thought about going to London but as we were in London for the jubilee and struggled to see much we felt lucky to be there but didn’t see anything other than the flypast. We feel we will see more of the house than we could if we were there. “I think Monday will hit everyone really hard as we finally say goodbye. I think we might all be surprised how we feel on the day and what emotions hit us. I feel like I’ve lost another grandparent – my last one.” Stefan Kruczkowski, 45, freelance urban planner, Derbyshire
“We prefer to grieve privately”
Judy Rose. Photo: Judy Rose “I’ll be at home with my husband watching on TV via a laptop. The Queen’s death has affected us and many others far more deeply than I would have imagined possible, so we would prefer to mourn privately. I can’t imagine anything worse than standing for hours to see little of the event. There was no way we were going to London. “We prefer to pay our respects quietly at home and participate properly in the entire funeral. We will observe a minute’s silence in Devizes Market Place on Sunday afternoon and as a councilor I have already attended a memorial service at the town church.’ Judy Rose, 74, Wiltshire, retired, councillor
“I have no interest”
“I won’t be watching. I don’t care about all that. It feels like it’s becoming mandatory to be monarchical, instead of letting people make their own choices. I find it really horrible. I’ll just go for a walk with my family and make the most of the time off. “It’s sad that an elderly woman died, especially for her family, and there are institutional and constitutional issues that will be of interest, but the unprofitable and crazy coverage and all the cancellations and ‘we feel your pain at this sad time’ email from The companies who were just trying to make you think twice about them was pathetic. Companies are jumping on the bandwagon. I had a booster shot the other day and a lot of the people I spoke to there – aged between 65 and 80 – were also against it.” Dina, 65, researcher, London
“TV can be on for anyone who wants to watch”
Angelica Gardner. Photo: Angelica Gardner “I sent a last minute invitation to my neighbors yesterday asking if they were free for G&Ts and scones on Monday. The TV can be on for anyone who wants to watch the funeral – we are not royalists, except for my daughter. The rest of us will just have a lovely gathering – I like to organize things and there will be about 14 of us. I’ll set a table with sprinkles, a cheese board, cakes, ice buckets with bubbly, gin.’ Angelica Gardner, 59, Birmingham, recently retired
“We have planned a homemade buffet”
Angela Dennis and her daughter. Photo: Angela Dennis “I watch all the royal events, especially the weddings on TV, with my daughter. We both love the whole ceremony and watch the story of the day as it goes from the first preparations to the main event and then to the closing. We will be attending the funeral with her partner and we have planned a homemade buffet which is always part of our royal TV days. We called our event “The Queen’s Wake”. “It will be a different feeling this time to attending events like weddings, but it will still be good to get together – we’re in it for the good times and the bad. It will be a day when the nation will do the same thing. We hardly ever see the same thing on TV, time has passed. We are not huge royalists, we just like to be together and participate. It’s been a strange time but it will be a good way to mark her passing.” Angela Dennis, 47, operations director at a charity in Suffolk
“I’ll move on to more important things”
Iain Houston Photo: Iain Houston “I really won’t be watching. I have mixed feelings about the royal family. I might peek into the living room while doing laundry and tidying up the kitchen if my wife is watching TV. Otherwise I’ll move on to things that are more important to me right now. I’m a musician, so I’ll probably practice. This is probably a more sincere way for me to honor her public service which she did with an exemplary degree of integrity and honesty.” Iain Houston, 74, Dorset, musician and retired computer programmer
