Where were you when you found out The Queen had died?

[junkdrawer]

I always found it fascinating when my parents could pinpoint a particular period in time when someone famous passed away. I was young when Princess Diana died and so don't remember anything about it.

When the Queen died, I was at my favourite hotel abroad. My husband told me at dinner.

The hotel had beautiful tributes around the lobby within hours, the theatre had sky news playing on a massive screen and the flags outside were taken down aside from the Union Jack which was flown at half mast.

With Princess Diana , I was awake during the night because of a poorly child who had me pinned to the sofa, first breaking news wasn't that she had died, but that she was seriously injured.
With the Queen, we had the update about her being unwell whilst at work, I got home and was chatting to a friend on the phone when the news came that she had died.
9/11 I was at home finishing some work for college, listening to the radio, the presenter said if you have access to a television switch it on now.

Tesco.
I was on holiday when Diana died, came down to the hotel lobby with parents and DB and the news there was initially reporting she'd been shot.

Feeding our two dogs. DH had the BBC news on and noticed they were showing the flag flying at half mast just before the actual announcement.

With Diana, DH and I were in my parents' bed (!!!) as we were staying at their house because the sale of our house had completed and we were waiting for our purchase to go through. My parents had offered us their room (the only one with a double bed) for the few weeks we were there. Anyway, we were awoken by my mum knocking on the bedroom door, then coming in still in her nightdress. We were half asleep and I was certain she'd said "the dog is dead", referring to our sausage dog who'd spent the night in the kitchen 😳🙄

Busy getting a PB on seated leg press, I think.

We were celebrating my daughters wedding.

At home watching the news when the Queen’s death was announced.
Princess Diana - still in bed, half asleep, when DH told me. All I heard was a muffled, “D...(Diana) and D…(Dodi) have died.”
Freddie Mercury - I can’t remember but we did put our favourite tracks on quite loud and dance to them that Christmas.
JFK - watching tv with my mum.

Queen - Curry Club at Spoons
Prince Philip - working. Got the news flash on my screen
Diana - stayed the night with BF. Put the radio on in the morning.
Elvis - driving round Spaghetti Junction
JFK - at home with parents on a Friday night

at work on a call with a customer and a colleague yelled it out

On a bus

I was visiting a relative in hospital

As I parked my car the radio was playing normal music.

When I got to the patient he looked up from his phone and said "The Queen's died"

Sainsburys

At home watching the news.

Very random but I was watching a video before of dash cam footage someone posted online of the moment they heard the news announced on the radio.

On my bed after work . I knew it was coming from about 2:30 pm with how the tone was going ...
did anyone see the very short clip of the guy running to the gates at the palace as the flag was lowered it got cut short but then straight after Huw came on and announced it .

Working from home

I work in tv and my email started going crazy as I was notified by all the last minute changes to the schedule...

It's been like that ever since to be fair!

Garden office, finish

In the car in Sainsburys car park.

Diana- I woke up & turned the radio on.. the National anthem was playing (solemn version) my initial assumption was the the Queen Mother had died.

Queen- at home. Usual post - work milling about/ sorting tea.
Twin towers- my first post- uni temp office job. It was on the radio. Then that night in the pub, they had the news on the big telly.
Diana- boyfriend's house. I was 17, an age not noted for its empathy, and staunch republican, so was not really interested. I remember much eye rolling among my peers over the public displays of grief. Diana worship then seemed largely contained to my mum's generation and older. I didn't know anyone my age who really cared.

As an adult, I think it's sad that a young woman with two young boys died- but in the same way I would about any young woman who died in a shocking and unexpected way.

Diana: I was on a 36 hour shift at the hospital, and in the wee small hours heard on the ward radio that she had been injured in a car crash. I managed to catch a few hours sleep, and then was woken by my flatmates weeping a wailing that she had died. They castigated me for not waking them with the news of the crash. I was a bit bemused.

The queen: there was a TV in the break room when I grabbed a sandwich at 01:40, and there was the ill health rolling news report. In the afternoon, the ward clerk had the BBC news up on her computer, and I commented that they were wearing black ties, so this must be it. I'd made it home before 18:30, and had the TV on as I was expecting the announcement, and wanted to see it.

In the kitchen cooking unicorn shaped pasta. For me.

In the pub. The TV was on, but with the sound off. I looked up and saw the flag was flying at half mast, and then the landlord shouted out "the queen has died".

He turned the sound up and most of the customers stood up while the national anthem was being played. I saw a few people wiping tears away and raising a glass to her.

I felt quite emotional as well.

Yes! That was the moment I knew. The surge towards the gates, presumably at the moment the footmen put the announcement up.

I'm pretty sure the live feed (BBC) then cut to the gates at Balmoral, then showed the Buckingham Palace flag at half mast, then to Huw Edwards in the studio.

I was watching on my laptop and about 30 mins after the announcement I rewound the live feed as I wondered if I'd imagined the rush towards the gates. I hadn't. All of the footage I've since seen starts from Huw in the studio or the flag at half mast.

I was sat in gymnastics viewing gallery watching my daughter faff around as the head coach was away!

It wasn't a shock as I had been watching the news coverage all afternoon after getting in (can't remember where I had been) and genuinely thought that she would pass that day watching events unfold.
It has genuinely surprised though how emotional I am over her passing

• she gave far more years than anyone could be expected, doing her duty for the country (I still can't get my head around how only two days prior she was meeting with Truss). I have to admit to also shedding a tear this afternoon watching our Mayor declare the Proclamation and the choir singing God Save the King (nearly wrote Queen).

Walking the dog with DH.

We left the house just after 6pm (I think everyone had expected an announcement at 6pm, but there wasn’t one). I looked at Twitter while we were out and saw the announcement.

At the dinner table. Alexa told us…

Diana, DH and I were camping and didn’t actually find out for a couple of days. The whole world must have known except us!

Queen Mum, DH and I had just pulled up to Osborne House and heard it on the radio.

We were on holiday when we found out about 911 too…

In Crete