Visiting HMQ Lying in State

[happyinherts]

My daughter would love to travel down to London for this, but time is somewhat limited due to working hours. What day / night would be best to travel bearing in mind queues. Obviously Day 1 might be the busiest? Night time?

This couldn't happen, no. The coffin that is on display for the lying in state will be on constanr public view until the point where the lying in state stops and its time for the funeral procession to start, and is the same one that will be buried. Thete would be no opportunity for a switcharound without witnesses and in any case there is nowhere more appropriate for a "real" coffon to be. It has to be somewhere during the days leading up to the funeral, and having it on a platform in Westminster Hall being venerated by thousands is far more appropriate than being hidden away in a cupboard.

I would like to get to London but to see the queue's not join them.
I couldn't do it for days on end I couldn't.

Most people couldn’t queue for days or many hours - unless they’re retired or don’t work for whatever reason. I would go - I live in London - but can’t queue for days. I would queue from after work all night through if I thought that would be enough time, but would need to get to work the next day.

I'm going to London on Saturday, I'll be there between 10am and 9pm.

I'm aware that the queue might be just too long for the lying in state. I'd be prepared to wait but it might not fit with my travel times. Otherwise I think it'll still be nice just to go to the palace, The Mall etc. I'm travelling from the NW. I did think about bringing very sensible and lovely DD(9) but decided it would be too much. So I'm going completely alone, bliss!

We are leaving Wed eve (me and 18yr old DS- its him that wants to go!) And will just use our fold chairs and just deal with it I suppose

@FaazoHuyzeoSix thanks for your comment. I didn't know realise the coffin would be going straight onto the funeral after lying in state

Thanks @Seemslikeaniceday
i don’t expect there to be any seats. There can’t be, with the numbers predicted. I just wondered if people took their own. Or, if as someone said, the queue is constantly moving so it’s pointless. I like the idea of a Walker / chair.

Wow! I've seen some nasty stuff on here, but that takes the biscuit.

I'd love to go, I'm from London but live in the North East now and have a six month old so it's just not possible. But I'd love to see London during this historic time

This is what I keep wondering too!

I think they'll do prebooked ticketed slots.

They're already arranging tickets for VIP political people to go. I think it'll be booking online for a particular time so it'll reduce queues and make it easier for the police to manage the numbers of visitors

Can you please help me understand why you want to do this?

You wont see her. You'll see a box. You could be standing in line for 10-24 hours?

What do you hope to feel?

@turningpurpleygreen I'm not sure why you'd like to understand why my daughter wishes to do this. It's a personal choice. And the reason why I asked on here was for feasibility reasons. If it's 10 to 24 hour queuing, then no, she can't do it.

We only waited c3 hours for the Queen Mother's lying in state, and that was on the penultimate evening. All the exaggerated reporting in the press about 24 hour queues kept the numbers down.

Why @pompomdaisy ? If you have a pram (somewhere to sleep and change baby) milk, hot and cold water, changes of clothes, blankets, toys... what difference would it make to a baby? The difference it might make to my stress levels are of course something else! I couldn't queue for anything like 18+ hours though as DD has medication which has to be kept in the fridge. I doubt we'll go.

Three hours is still a very long time to just wait in a queue.

Even when we got there, there were warnings about 7 hour queues, but it just kept moving and we waited less than half that.

I understand why people want to pay their respects and feel connected to others by participating in a mourning ritual at a time like this. That is why we having mourning rituals!

Don't people wait in queues of a similar length for theme parks and concerts and airport security?

A 3 hour slow walk is more reasonable than the 24-48 hour queue experience some people are contemplating - and far shorter than we were being warned about at the time.

Sorry misunderstood, the queue did stop and start but only briefly and then you would walk a short distance. It felt like the let people in in groups so you would stand walk forward 10 metres then stop again for a few minutes and then walk again etc.

@VioletTopaz If you have light weight folded chairs I would take them along with a picnic, water, layers of clothes (a hat if it gets cold at night).

@tickticksnooze

Three hours for a theme park. Do people do that?

I once queued about 2 hours at an American airport but never in the uk

Don't people wait in queues of a similar length for theme parks and concerts and airport security?

Yes but there’s a three hour music show or possibly a two week holiday at the end of that wait! (Wouldn’t queue for a theme park ride for 3 hours though)

Westminster hall was quite cool when the Queen Mother was lying in state. As pp shefwill have been embalmed which preserves the body.

I saw Chairman Mao in tiananmen square and he’s been dead decades so there are ways to preserve the body. Although it could have been a waxwork.

I’ve never queued at an airport for as long as 3 hours either thinking about it.
I can’t think of anything I would be willing to stand in a queue that long for TBH.

It’s a combination of factors;

• being part of an historical event
• paying respect to someone who served this country for over 70 years - yes I know she also lived a life of luxury etc. arguments, but how many of us would be working at 96, 2 days before we die?
• seeing the Crown Jewels
• as a person of faith, wanting to say a prayer
• as part of the grieving process, not just for the Queen, but also for family members you’ve lost