When the train leaves for the city center shortly before seven on Thursday evening, the subway driver speaks up. Normally he only does this if there are problems on the route again, but this time it’s about a message that doesn’t just upset the subway driver: Her Royal Highness has passed away, he says in a broken voice over the loudspeaker -Attachment. And then he says that thoughts and prayers are now with the Royal Family, especially one: King Charles.
king charles You have to get used to that first.
People on the subway look out the window or at their smartphones to revisit the images of the Queen’s life on the news sites. It has probably never been as quiet as on this Thursday evening on this District Line train.
London mourns. But not everywhere is as quiet as in the subway. At Shake Shack at Victoria Station, people line up for burgers and fries as if it were any night. The fact that things are anything but normal here can be seen from the flowers that many of them have with them. Alison bought a bouquet too, just around the corner from the Waitrose supermarket. She has come to Central London with her friend to say goodbye. And so, in the pouring rain, the two of them walk from Victoria Station to Buckingham Palace, holding the sunflowers wrapped in cellophane paper.
The police have closed the streets around the palace, the Bobbies stand there in neon yellow coats directing the traffic. The closer you get to Buckingham Gate, the busier it gets. “It’s so sad,” says Alison, and goes straight to the front of the black iron gate. There she lays her sunflowers. Like thousands of others, she only lingers briefly and then heads back towards the subway. She has to go home, her children are already waiting, she says. And then she says a sentence that can be heard again and again on the streets of London that evening: “It’s historic, isn’t it?”
Flowers at Buckingham Palace: Many people pause in London.
(Photo: Victoria Jones/AP)
Indeed, it’s a historic night and because of that, people need to talk. They talk about what they all probably expected at some point, but somehow didn’t think was possible.
In front of a pub near Buckingham Gate, people are standing outside under the canopy, the rain is beating down on the street. “It’s really sad,” says one. “Yes,” says another, “we will miss her.”
Many people are not quite sure what the death of the Queen means tonight. For the monarchy, the kingdom, the commonwealth. And you will probably only know that in the coming days and weeks, if at all.
Stop and think
If you are looking for orientation on this memorable death anniversary of the Queen, the best thing to do is watch the BBC. There is the presenter Huw Edwards, who prepares the audience for what is to come with his usual calm voice and black tie. National mourning, the funeral, the new King Charles III.
If you will, Britain has had some practice in saying goodbye. Not so long ago, the United Kingdom witnessed the death of Prince Philip. When the Queen’s husband died in spring 2021, Londoners also gathered in front of Buckingham Palace and laid flowers. It was a bright blue April day then. Now, on this September evening, Buckingham Palace glows in the dark of night. The Union Jack on the roof flies at half-staff, as it did when Philip died. And yet it is very different now: When Prince Philip died, there was still the Queen to whom the kingdom could hold on.
And now? Now there is King Charles III.
It may be a while before we understand just how much this September 8th will change the United Kingdom. In any case, now is the time to pause and think about what was. At least on the streets of London, Elizabeth II is still omnipresent. A photo of the deceased Queen now hangs at the bus stops, where advertising for the new iPhone or the new Range Rover is usually emblazoned. She wears a white dress with a blue sash and a crown on her head. Below it is written: “Her Majesty The Queen, 1926 – 2022”.