From our special correspondent in London,
“The queen has devoted so many years to us… Waiting a few hours or even a night for her is nothing and it makes me happy. Like Mary, hundreds of thousands of Britons and tourists will line up and wait their turn to pay their last respects to Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey in the coming days.
“The Queen lying-in-state”, the exhibition of the Queen’s coffin to the public, officially began this Wednesday at 5 p.m. in London, but by Tuesday evening hundreds of people were waiting. Tilly, a 40-year-old Londoner decided at the last moment. “It was my day off, so I came at 10 p.m. and at 1 a.m. my daughter and I decided to stay put.” If the night was a little difficult, she confides to us, “with the umbrellas it was fine, and I prefer to spend just one night outside than to wait 30 hours”.
A last goodbye
According to British media, the queue could exceed 10 kilometers and therefore reach 30 hours of waiting for people at the end of the line. Whatever the weather and whatever the waiting time for Anne, who also arrived on site on Tuesday. With a trembling voice, she opens up: “My parents would have liked to be there if they were still alive, so it’s very important to me”. For her, it’s a family affair. “I miss her like my grandmother, I will cry when I go to see her coffin”.
Going back down the line along the Thames, life gets organized. “I took coats for the night, light jackets if it’s hot tomorrow morning and even sunscreen,” Maureen shows us in her backpack. Leaning against the barriers, thousands of people wait, on their chairs, books in hand, or talking with their neighbors.
“A national duty”
Signs and stores are also adapting to the historic event. Emily’s restaurant skirts the endless queue near Waterloo station: “We will remain open almost continuously to serve food and drink for the next four days”. Additional staff should arrive for customers, who are now present 24 hours a day. However, it is not a question of making numbers, explains the manager to us: “It is a national duty, to be sure that the safety and comfort of people be insured. We just want to help out and do the best we can. »
This moment of unity will reach its climax during the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, Monday, September 19. In the meantime, Her Majesty’s subjects will be able to say “Goodbye and God bless you”, “goodbye and god bless you”, the message that Mary will slip in front of the royal coffin.