Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Visiting HMQ Lying in State

199 replies

happyinherts · 10/09/2022 21:41

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?

OP posts:
Poppyseed14 · 12/09/2022 18:16

I'm about half an hour from Central London and I'm giving the whole area a very wide berth. However for those who are planning to go, I'm genuinely interested to know how on earth you actually find the end of the queue? I struggle with this in places like Wilko, I can't even imagine a queue stretching for miles and miles.

londonmummy1966 · 12/09/2022 18:18

rockbottombird · 12/09/2022 17:59

I went to see the queen mother and I'd say I waited about 3/4 hours in total which I thought was Ok. I'm going again on Friday evening, I'll join the queue with my flask of tea and some sandwiches and my trusty camping chair and wait my turn. Good luck OP, it will be worth the wait.

Which would be fine but you can't take your camping chair or your flask in with you. I suggest you read the guidance that a PP linked to about the million and one prohibited items...

bloodyunicorns · 12/09/2022 18:20

People started queueing already. 48 hours in advance 😱😱

That's going to make it very hard for most people to go. Who has the time?!

VladmirsPoutine · 12/09/2022 18:33

I struggle with this in places like Wilko, I can't even imagine a queue stretching for miles and miles.

Grin
eastsheener · 12/09/2022 18:43

We took flowers yesterday to lay in Green Park and we couldn't get anywhere near Buckingham Palace, security were saying there was a six hour queue 😳. It was the busiest I've seen that area, think 20 times rush hour, nightmare.

Snowiscold · 12/09/2022 19:01

eastsheener · 12/09/2022 18:43

We took flowers yesterday to lay in Green Park and we couldn't get anywhere near Buckingham Palace, security were saying there was a six hour queue 😳. It was the busiest I've seen that area, think 20 times rush hour, nightmare.

I went yesterday- didn’t take flowers- but I think we only queued for about an hour - most of that was outside the palace because they’d closed the barriers to let Charles’s car come through. They could have kept them open for a lot longer, to my mind.

FourChimneys · 12/09/2022 20:15

To be honest, I think the whole thing might end badly. People becoming ill from standing in queues for hours, people collapsing, not enough toilets, thousands of people who queue but don't actually get in in the end. Masses of junk abandoned because it's not allowed in.

For what?

To shuffle past a box for a couple of seconds. Who knows if she's even in there?

rockbottombird · 12/09/2022 21:01

@Sparklingbrook absolutely! Whatever it takes. Meeting my DS there and we shall wait patiently.

rockbottombird · 12/09/2022 21:02

@Snowiscold there's holding place for larger items like last time or pass it down the line.. we shall see

containsnuts · 12/09/2022 21:16

If you look at the footage from Edinburgh you'll see there's no opportunity to stop and pay respects. People are ushered along and the coffin is placed a good few meters back. The whole thing is over in seconds after queueing for hours.

Snowiscold · 12/09/2022 21:18

containsnuts · 12/09/2022 21:16

If you look at the footage from Edinburgh you'll see there's no opportunity to stop and pay respects. People are ushered along and the coffin is placed a good few meters back. The whole thing is over in seconds after queueing for hours.

Of course you can’t stop. No one would think that. The procession around the coffin is the “showing respect”.

Sparklingbrook · 12/09/2022 21:21

containsnuts · 12/09/2022 21:16

If you look at the footage from Edinburgh you'll see there's no opportunity to stop and pay respects. People are ushered along and the coffin is placed a good few meters back. The whole thing is over in seconds after queueing for hours.

I was surprised how far the coffin is away. Definitely no stopping.

VladmirsPoutine · 12/09/2022 21:38

Having thought about it, I think a lot of it is to do with people wanting to have been there, i.e. have been a part of history. Though nobody will care in 10 years from now or indeed 10 days from now that Janet from Cornwall hiked to London for 30 hours to pay her respects.

Barbadossunset · 12/09/2022 21:53

Vladimirspoutine why don’t you order a self-assembly guillotine from Amazon. You may not be able to use on those who you would like to behead but you can construct it and look at it and fantasise.

VladmirsPoutine · 12/09/2022 21:55

@Barbadossunset Interesting you say that, we had a clear out of the garage in August so I do have the storage space.

Barbadossunset · 12/09/2022 21:57

In your fantasies would you guillotine the adults first in front of the children or the other way round?

JoanOgden · 12/09/2022 21:57

VladmirsPoutine · 12/09/2022 21:38

Having thought about it, I think a lot of it is to do with people wanting to have been there, i.e. have been a part of history. Though nobody will care in 10 years from now or indeed 10 days from now that Janet from Cornwall hiked to London for 30 hours to pay her respects.

Janet will care! There are several people on this thread who are still glad they went to see the Queen Mother lying in state. Personally I couldn't be arsed with the queueing then and I can't be arsed now, but each to their own.

VladmirsPoutine · 12/09/2022 22:00

@Barbadossunset I would strongly suggest that you seek professional help if you're imagining what it would be like to behead someone infront of children. That can't be healthy and I wish you a speedy recovery. I've always found a nice hot bath and a green tea helps Smile

Barbadossunset · 12/09/2022 22:02

You were the one who said you had space for a guillotine. What would be the point of having it if you didn’t dream of using it.

Sparklingbrook · 12/09/2022 22:02

How did this thread come round to guillotining children? I don't think the Queen would have wanted that.

Kezzie200 · 12/09/2022 22:02

There's a 2 minute silence planned for Sunday. Go somewhere nice locally then and think of her!

SouthOfFrance · 12/09/2022 22:06

This whole thing has become insane now. The queen's body isn't even going to be in that coffin for security reasons, people are being taken for absolute fools.
There are people who are going to spend their hard earned money, perhaps already feeling the pinch of the cost of living and years of austerity, queuing for hours to be allowed to shuffle past a replica coffin to 'pay their respects' or 'be a part of history'. Absolutely their choice but at least the government/media/royal family should be straight with people that they are going to queue for hours to essentially walk past an empty box.
And don't even get me started on why the royal family haven't suggested donations to charity in lieu of flowers. What a waste of money and bad for the environment too.

MaxmaraDress · 12/09/2022 22:09

I live in Millbank.

I didnt notice a queue as I came home.
Lots of barriers in untypical places through. The barriers on Whitehall were partially out as well. Parliament Square was fenced off- I assumed to stop camping or ready to gather something there. Buses running normally and not on diversion through Parliament Square.

Will go that way when I walk the dog tomorrow am and update.

It was 25 degrees this afternoon- summer dress weather.

Andante57 · 12/09/2022 22:09

The queen's body isn't even going to be in that coffin for security reasons, people are being taken for absolute fools
Is that true that the Queen’s body isn’t in the coffin? Are you sure about that SouthofFrance?

CaptainBarbosa · 12/09/2022 22:23

She's in there.

It's not easy to smuggle a body out of somewhere when the world's press, drones, helicopters are watching.

I don't believe they've rolled old maj in to a rug from Balmoral's state room, bungled in to the boot of a black range rover and snuck it out somehow 😳