To think it's a shame we can't pay our respects

[KeepYaHeadUp]

When we initially heard about the funeral plans DH and I said it might be "nice" to take our DC to London (we're just outside) to walk past the Queen in Westminster Hall. They've been very interested in the whole event and are old enough now that they'll remember it and be able to talk about it, etc. so when they independently asked to go we looked into it.

It quickly became apparent it wasn't going to be feasible due to the huge queues etc, so that was knocked on the head. I feel it's a shame but there's no way I'd have them queuing in the rain.

On the news this morning there are a number of people who's caught flights from all over the world to come and be part of it. One pair - a mother and adult son from New York flew over as soon as they heard the Queen had died and are queuing now.

I know it's unreasonable really, but I felt a pang of something - jealousy, irritation, not sure - at these people with money and time to fly for hours to come and pay their respects to our monarch adding to numbers which effectively deny other groups the opportunity. I know there are allowances made for people with disabilities who are unable to queue for up to 30 hours, but what about children/families for whom it's impossible?

Total case of FOMO..

You can show respects without being caught up in the more visible activities of others.
I'm very moved and upset at her passing probably more than some there whooping cheering watching it all through their phones so they can prove "they were there" or "part of it". We are all part of it whatever we do

BBC are putting a live stream on aparantly. So there we go, file past the TV slowly.

Ok so you don’t want to queue for that amount of time…

mothers do and will.

Not sure what the issue is.

But lots of people watched from the roadside, or in fields as the cortège passed, they probably got a better view than watching a train whizz by at 90 mph with a coffin inside!

You’re complaining that viewing a coffin hasn’t been made into an ‘accessible event’…

Maybe im making something out of nothing

There's no maybe about it is there really?

I am in Australia, and she was our Head is State too. Do you suggest we all get tickets to go see? Or maybe they take her corpse on a tour of the Commonwealth?
ridiculous!

There is one body, and so many people wanting to engage. If it is important to you then you do the hard yards!

That’s a good point, but have to admit I immediately thought that they could have projected a hologram in a big cathedral in Sydney and other major Australian cities like Perth if they wanted to. The queue wouldn’t be as long, but I think some would quite like to go.

This.

OP you are being very unreasonable and frankly a bit weird.

Either queue or don’t. You have no more right to view the coffin than anyone else (other than the Queen’s friends or family obviously).

We have a local funeral directors who has a horse drawn hearse (several different sets of horses, black and white ) I saw it pass by yesterday , complete with a coffin, and a couple of little kids walking in front said to their mum “ look at the horses mum, they’re wearing feathers” ( they were too, pink ones). They didn’t mention the hearse. I don’t think many children, unless they have seen an open coffin, understand the significance of a coffin. They would be more impressed with flowers laid out in a park because kids know that you often buy flowers to mark a significant event.

I really can’t get into the mindset of people wanting to go gawp at a coffin with a corpse in it. What are they doing when they get to it? Taking photos and selfies? I wouldn’t queue either, but then I wouldn’t want to go at all

same,as for the people who flew in from abroad-more money than sense. I'll see it on tv and acknowledge it but I won't be altering my life for it. Afterall she's just an old woman I don't even know so it's weird I'd be in grief. I'd say the same for all famous people who die. I don't find it appropriate for people in the general public who don't know the deceased to act as if they are in grief etc.

I have a friend works at Heathrow and they are annoyed at the amount of people flying in to go gawp at the Queens coffin - crazies with too much money!

I imagine a lot of people at Westminster Hall will be very upset that they can’t take a picture, I mean if it isn’t on your Instagram it didn’t happen right?

You can ask your children to write a letter to King Charles offering their condolences, perhaps with a drawing etc. They would receive a reply, which you could frame with a nice print of our late Queen for them to keep.
I’ve never took my children to family funerals as I feel their memories of the person when they was alive is a better memory to have.

It's not a child-friendly activity anyway. Don't know why anyone with children would want to go and stand in that queue for two days to file past a coffin. Crazy.
I don't see why it should be made more "accessible" to families by letting them jump the queue with some kind of priority system or whatever. That just means that young, single people end up missing out or older single people or couples without children.
The way it is at the moment, it's not unfair. People can see how long the queues are and decide whether that is something they wish to do given their own circumstances. There has been provision made for the disabled as they can get green wristbands and there is a taxi service running them to the front of the queue - a woman posted a thread on here about her experience yesterday.

There are plenty of opportunities for people to see the coffin/hearse pass by - eg. the various processions which have already taken place or will take place. So families (if they really want to and think it's appropriate) can research where might be a sensible place to stand to watch this.

But I do agree that it's a bit ridiculous that people are flying in from all over the world to go and stand in a queue.

It's not terribly accessible for those of us who live outside of the travel corridors of the South East either. It's 4hrs + each way and over £200 to get to London, one of the world's most expensive cities. Maybe they should put her coffin some where more accessible to more of the country. Like Crewe.

BBC 1 just showed people sleeping on the grass, wrapped in cellophane basically, sleeping on camping chairs under umbrellas etc. It doesn’t look like they are having a fun/ touristy day imo. So I think those who came to pay respect showed great determination to survive more then a bit of rain. It’s too much for me so I didn’t go.
By the way you were wrong OP to compare it with Churchill’s funeral.The Queen was on the throne 70 years, she was a head of Commonwealth, a lot of things happened over this period and a lot more people were affected by her reign and met her personally so decided to pay their respect.

So can Northerners also be upset that it's happening in London and therefore not as accessible to us? Not only would we have to queue for 30 hours in the rain, with our IBS, with out kids, we'd also have to take extra time off work AND spend money to get trains/buses/drive down.
It's almost like they are only thinking of the Queen and what she wants rather than what I personally want.

YABU
They are prepared to get on a plane, travel away from home for a week and stand in line in all weathers, You dont want to stand in the rain.
You can also pay your respects by lighting a candle, laying some flowers or making a charitable donation. You could stand on the route at Northolt, at Buckingham palace, on the route from Buckingham palace to Westminster hall or or the funeral. Not really fair to feel jealous that someone else is prepared to do more than you.
Get your children to make a collage of paper clippings or see what they can find out about HMs 70 year reign that they didnt know. Or if older how life differs for someone their age now vs 70 years ago. Lots of beautiful things to mark her Legacy, hope you enjoy doing them 😀

Very good 😆

Is the consensus that it's a tourist attraction then?

Are you sure?

BBC are live-streaming the coffin (what an age we live in), so no need to leave the house at all now.

It's a visit to a place of interest.