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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to finally share this secret!

343 replies

hereforever · 14/09/2022 09:40

Name changed as potentially identifying, but been here forever.

Many years ago (deliberately being vague but 10+ years ago) my dh came home from work and said he has a massive secret to tell me, that I couldn't tell another soul.....that his company was designing and building the Queen's Hearse. The business is just a small family-run firm based in the North, and whilst they had been making Jaguar hearses for years this was totally unexpected.
The whole team worked really hard on it and it was built with the utmost secrecy and respect, kept hidden until now - very few people even knew it existed (it's been hard sometimes not sharing with family).

I'm having mixed emotions since we saw it on tv last night - as I want to shout from the rooftops how proud I am of DH and the team but so far this is the only place I've shared as I don't want to look crass in what is a very sad time for our country.

So AIBU to finally share this secret and whilst it is very sad, also be very honoured to be part of our Queen's final journey.

to finally share this secret!
OP posts:
Icanstillrecallourlastsummer · 14/09/2022 10:08

I don't think you should have shared it really, if it was such a secret.

Anyway, I hope the vehicle is reused. What a shame to make a car to sit around for 10 years and not be used for anything else.

BattenburgDonkey · 14/09/2022 10:09

BigHoots · 14/09/2022 10:05

Am i the only one that finds this totally bizarre. The idea of the queen needing her own exclusive hearse seems very wasteful to me. Apparently Phillip had his own special Land Rover hearse too. Young people today are crippled with student debt and ever getting onto the property ladder is now merely a dream. All this excess is in such bad taste.

I’d say it was wasteful if she had like 10 hearses, but she’s the Queen and it’s 1 car. It can be reused and for all we no it may well be. Hardly an excess is it.

Sparklingbrook · 14/09/2022 10:09

Have you ever tried chopping a car in half and then putting it back together to make it look like a hearse and not a car?!!

No, when I saw it I had no idea it wasn’t a brand new shiny hearse made as a hearse. Or a hearse that they already had used in previous royal funerals. I couldn’t have known it was otherwise until this thread.

It’s a nice hearse.

ArseyDarcie · 14/09/2022 10:10

The people saying 'it's just a car' would not look at an artists work and say 'it's just a painting'. That is his craft and his time, effort and creativity goes in to it. I'd like to see them build a hearse! You can work in admin and be proud of an email or spreadsheet if that's something that you've poured your time and effort in to. Them being chosen speaks to the quality of their craftsmanship. Keep it secret as it's your husband's not yours and he has asked you to, but he can be proud of himself ❤️

TroysMammy · 14/09/2022 10:12

@Icanstillrecallourlastsummer it's no longer a secret because the hearse has been seen in public. It hasn't been made by magic but skilled people who have had the honour. Of course The Queen's coffin wouldn't have been placed in one from The Co-op.

ElusiveWhale · 14/09/2022 10:13

Icanstillrecallourlastsummer · 14/09/2022 10:08

I don't think you should have shared it really, if it was such a secret.

Anyway, I hope the vehicle is reused. What a shame to make a car to sit around for 10 years and not be used for anything else.

What Confused? It's not a secret any more, everyone has seen it now. The OP is simply sharing her DH's part in its creation, the secret was kept as long as was necessary.

Electriq · 14/09/2022 10:13

Well done to your husband and his work OP.
It is a beautiful hearse, the fact it was getting dark as it went through London yet everyone that came to pay their respects could still see was lovely.

You have every right to be proud.

BattenburgDonkey · 14/09/2022 10:13

It’s nice and you should be proud OP, but there’s no much point being vague and calling it a secret when it’s in the news that who made the car already. But I’d be proud too if it were my DP

ClottedCreamAndStrawberries · 14/09/2022 10:15

For all these people saying it’s ‘just a car’, I take it you’ll be making King Charles’s hearse when he pops his clogs given that you seem to think there’s not much to it 🙄 🙄

Charlize43 · 14/09/2022 10:16

I thought it was going to say that you had Shergar buried under your patio...

Original poster
hereforever · 14/09/2022 10:17

I feel it's ok to share here as it's now in the public domain and anyone who knows the industry such as funeral directors and the automotive coachbuilding industry will know which firm built it, and I've seen a few posts online talking about it.

However, I expect it won't be talked about publicly and most people will just see Jaguar and think that Jaguar built the hearse from scratch, rather than realising its specialist vehicle convertors (coachbuilders) such as the company that DH works for that convert a regular saloon vehicle into a hearse - as others have said, it's a work of art and stunning craftsmanship. I know a normal Jaguar hearse can take around 1200 man hours - no idea how long the Queen's hearse took to build but I do know it was a lot more than normal and was fully hand built.

OP posts:
sparklecement · 14/09/2022 10:18

Well done to your DH OP. One thing I learnt which surprised me but makes sense is that during her lifetime, the Queen was measured for her coffin and it was built. All senior Royals are as the coffins are lead lined. Her coffin has been waiting for her for several years.

Original poster
hereforever · 14/09/2022 10:18

I'm now welling up reading all of your comments - thank you for allowing me to share here you lovely vipers

OP posts:
Chumbazumba · 14/09/2022 10:18

I thought it was quite moving that she had clearly thought about the lighting, that even in death, the emphasis was on being seen and giving the best and clearest view to as many people as possible. It looked like a little light boat sailing down the M40 in the dark, like an Armada, with all the cars around it stopped.

thetruthaboutlovecomesat3am · 14/09/2022 10:19

Fraine · 14/09/2022 09:44

I mean, I know it's a hearse, but at the end of the day, it just a car. Confused

Bet you're fun at parties.

Moonlightdust · 14/09/2022 10:20

Beautiful craftsmanship and a very regal and classy transport for the Queen’s last journey.

Thelnebriati · 14/09/2022 10:21

I could see it was custom and wondered how they made the glass. I wish they'd made a video explaining how they did it.

RB68 · 14/09/2022 10:21

Donate to charity - that's the funniest thing I have heard for a while.

PipinwasAuntieMabelsdog · 14/09/2022 10:22

I think this thread is a bit tasteless OP. Yes, it's a proud moment for your DH and his team as engineers and crafts people, but you taking reflected glory from someone's death is a bit grim. Keep it as a family anecdote for future generations.

Fuzzy303 · 14/09/2022 10:22

you must be very proud.

My only question is why was it a secret?

JoeyThePrawn · 14/09/2022 10:23

Fraine · 14/09/2022 09:44

I mean, I know it's a hearse, but at the end of the day, it just a car. Confused

Oh go away @Fraine
what an intimate thing to be involved in @hereforever amazing !

Icanstillrecallourlastsummer · 14/09/2022 10:24

@TroysMammy perhaps it was not for public knowledge when, e.g. it was made. Or if it is why is OP being vague and calling it a secret?

I mean well done to OP's DH and all the other people who provided elements of all this. Argh, I don't know, maybe just feel it's a bit weird to lay claim to parts of the proceedings publically.

DoingJustFine · 14/09/2022 10:24

It's a damn fine hearse. Perfect visibility and really handsome. Well done to your clever DH.

bellinisurge · 14/09/2022 10:24

Well done op's dh and his colleagues.

welshpolarbear · 14/09/2022 10:24

Congratulations to your husband and team op, it's right that you should be really proud. Nothing wrong with sharing whatsoever. I'd be bursting to tell someone!

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