anyone queuing to see the coffin in London atm?

[DickDarstedly]

I am wondering how long the queue is and how the organisation is working out. Are there enough toilets? Is it true that the wristband allows you to leave and come back?

EDITED BY MNHQ Please find the link to the new thread www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4635946-anyone-queuing-to-see-the-coffin-in-london-atm-pt-2

Quite a few babies have gone through

I do not get it. I do not get it at all.

Do we know how the Royal Archer that collapsed is???

I've been wondering all bloomin' night..

I'm amazed that no-one has fallen down the stairs yet.

There's been kids going through yes but more 7+ yo

I’m sure they really enjoyed it too. 😬

How?! It reeeeaaallly isn't difficult to get, even if you wouldn't do it yourself.

@Herejustforthisone doesn’t matter whether you do or not.

People queued for hours to see Gorbachev lying in state the other week.

Pre internet people used to queue for hours to get tickets for certain events.

People do different things

Ok. Here’s how to look at it: Is there any part of you that is moved by any of it? Maybe the loss of the actual person? Or the sight of the crown on the coffin? Or the long history of kings and queens in this country?

If you yourself are moved by any single aspect of it, then just times that by ten and then add the other stuff in and that’s why people want to queue. It might not be for you but it’s not a massive mental leap to understand it for others?

Another big factor is that it’s human nature is to want to be with others and feel like you belong to something - it’s why even the earliest humans formed tribes.

I’m confused about how long people are queuing for - is it really 30 hours? Standing up without sleep? I don’t understand how people are physically capable of that.

or is not taking as long as that??

I don't get Dua Lipa. Am I po-faced and dull enough to post on those threads? No.

No, it isn’t reeeeeeeeally easy to get. That’s why I’m saying I don’t get it. Why would you queue eight hours through the night (at least) to walk past a coffin of a woman who was great, but very privileged and unreachable by us mere proles? And I liked the queen. The rest of them, except Anne and her kids, can go jump however.

When did this happen?

Logged on and saw the changing of the guards which was nice. Seeing a lot of professional types going through in the background with 'visitor' badges so I'm guessing they get let in without the queue and either work in law or the Courts nearby (you can kind of tell by their suits, they look like the barrister type of suit worn in Court if that makes sense) or work at Westminster Palace itself.

She hasn't been lying in state for 30 hours so how could that be possibly true?

People who have done it are saying about 8 hours. It's likely to get longer over the weekend.

The defensive royal fans are rife. I’m not criticising anyone (except the rest of the royals, admittedly) but merely expressing a total confusion at the attitude of people on this thread.

I was watching last night when soldiers wearing berets and medals pinned were going through and saluting, many of them teary-eyed. That was really moving as they've been in service pledging to Queen and country.

I couldn't get a day off so we headed off after work yesterday and got to Tower Bridge about 8 pm. found the queue slightly west of The golden Hind.
It was moving very briskly, no chance to rest or sit down. This continued until the London Eye, where we were given wristbands, they have numbers on so you can find your place if you go to the loo or grab a bite to eat. there were plenty of opportunities to do both.

It all went wrong after that. We waited about 30 minutes outside County Hall but eventually we went along the river bank towards Lambeth Bridge. We would only walk for a minute or so and then stand still for another 15 or 20. As we approached Lambeth Bridge we could clearly see that the queue on the other side of the river was barely moving at all.

After 4 hours we could see little chance of getting in within another 2 hours, so we reluctantly took the decision to leave and catch our last train home.

I'm pretty aghast that pp have said they shoved off for hours, the wristbands were supposed to enable you to go to the loo or grab a bite to eat, not go awol for hours on end; there were a few places where I don't think you would be allowed through and people knew was around them as well. it was a very friendly queue but I don't think someone who disappeared for hours would have got back in around where we were. That was possibly ok earlier, but I wouldn't have tried it at all and i wouldn't try it now.

We were disappointed not to get in, but pleased that we tried at least.

Highlight for one police officer was probably the crazy woman (me) who got confused and asked him where the queue was to see the Queen lying in wait!

Because there are people in the world who don't think the same way as you (shocker). They clearly admired her enough to want to go and be part of a historical event, and pay their respects despite the long waiting times.

There, that was easy.

I've got a weather thread going for the queuers.
www.mumsnet.com/talk/weather/4631688-weather-for-anyone-going-up-to-london-weds-through-to-the-funeral

I don’t drink alcohol and I don’t get why people do. I do not get it at all. But I don’t go on threads about alcohol and post that. Shock horror - people are interested in different things. What a boring world it would be otherwise.

@Herejustforthisone and I'm not a royal fan. I can just understand why people want to queue.

The archer tottered and collapsed around midnight. Apparently they are a ceremonial defence force and the average age is over 70. No news on his welfare from what I can see on Twitter but another archer fainted at Edinburgh too but he was much younger.

On the TV right now it seems around 7-8 hours for people who have got through, but the queue is lengthening so presumably the time will increase.

Anyone know when they started the 4 lines for passing the coffin? That will have helped speed things up a bit but that improvement may have rippled out by now.

Page 7 of this thread.. you'll see our reactions as we happened to see it on the live feed.

Poor man went flat on his face while stepping down from his vigil stint, they cut the live feed immediately!