What if the queen had died during lockdown

[Confusedandanxiety]

I was wondering what would have happened if the queen had died early in 2020, during the first strict lockdown when everyone was very serious about Covid.
Would people have been allowed to queue, but with a 2 metre gap? The queue route would have been miles long with a sparse flow of people.
Would we all have had to watch it on TV instead?
What about the royal family, and all the pomp and ceremony with the military - would it all have been done in a physically distanced manner?
I know operation London bridge had been planned for years, so presumably they updated it for covid.

Would have been done much like Philips.

I think in those very early days it would have had to be entirely different and something more like the Duke of Edinburgh's.

Yes, surely it would have been like Prince Phillips with just immediate family at the ceremony and social distancing for the military, staff and dignatories. Maybe with a memorial service later when covid rules were relaxed.

I suspect like others have said it would have been heavily scaled down. Most of it would have been virtual.

They would have not really been able to do anything which encouraged people to gather anywhere.

I think they were offered an exemption for Philip's funeral but didn't accept, I imagine it would have been the same. Small funeral and then large memorial service when things cleared.

Probably would have been a lot easier on the family.

They couldn't have allowed queues ,people were not supposed to see immediate family members ,so it would have been highly irresponsible to make any exemption, s

I think it was one of the reasons why the plan to transport the coffin by train on the ECML was scrapped.

I imagine everyone involved in project Unicorn/London bridge would have said,
"It's an ill wind that blows nobody any good!"
And heaved a sigh of relief...

I think it would have been simpler and a lot cheaper . No daft queuing.

Thanks all for your replies. Yes, it makes sense that it would have been like Philip's.

The plan for a couple of days after the queen died was to transport her coffin on a train down the East coast mainline, but the reason they gave for changing this to a flight was it would have been difficult to keep people off the tracks.

The coffin would have been wheeled in not carried, in Lockdown 1 there would have been no more than 12 people allowed to attend the funeral (26 in lockdown 2), no choirs, Lockdown 1 would have meant they had to drive themselves to the funeral, LD2 funeral cars were allowed. No wake or viewings in LD1 allowed with LD2 but with restrictions.* So completely different to what is happening now.

*having lost a parent in LD1 and another in LD2 this is what we had to deal with.

I am so sorry you had to go through this.

Secondly love your user name

Thankyou on both counts.

Was just thinking about this recently myself OP.

I don’t think there would have been any lying in state as gatherings were banned at the time.

Id say the funeral would have been family only and aired on tv just like Prince Philip’s.

We wouldn’t be seeing anything like we are seeing now.

Prince Philips funeral was scaled down and no readings etc as that is what he had wanted and specified I believe so I’m not sure his funeral would have been any different if it hadn’t been lockdown

In many ways it would have been better. None of this ridiculous queueing to see a coffin, no one blubbing outside the palace or leaving flowers and marmalade sandwiches to rot etc etc. Just a scaled-back, simple, classy service with her children and grandchildren, maybe the PM depending on numbers.

I am anti-monarchy so I don’t particular care about any of it, but on a human level i feel that this last week must have been very stressful for Charles, Camilla and Anne, who are pretty elderly themselves.

I reckon they'd have popped her in the freezer and dealt with it once lockdown was over

There was a lot more planned, for non-Covid times. Mind you he would've no doubt preferred what actually happened, with the obvious exception of the Queen sitting masked and alone.

As for the current event, there was a plan for Covid times but it's moot now.

@ShaunaTheSheep he didn’t want a fuss but you’re right about the Queen sitting on her own, I’m sure Philip would not have wanted that it was very sad to see her alone, surely someone in her “bubble” could have sat with her? Or someone could have been tested for Covid so they knew they were ok to be with her. Just all seems pointless now seeing as Boris and his mates were ignoring the rules the night before but I suppose the Queen would have done the right thing regardless.

It’s nice to hear this that even though you are not a royalist you can still see them as people, I think some people forget this that she’s still someone’s mother/grandmother etc. I feel it’s such a waste about the flowers it would be much better if people had given to one of the charities the Queen was patron of instead