You’re right, it’s mesmerising. I noted a 40ish guy, nothing unusual, jeans and a black hoodie, turn to the coffin and, as you say, execute a perfect snapping salute.
Was mildly amused to spy two, what looked like, Asian students or tourists looking a bit awkward as everyone around them bowed their heads. They clearly were unsure what to do and executed the two quickest head bows I’ve ever seen. Bless them.
That hall has an incredible history. King Henry VIII held his coronation banquet in that hall. And by then it was already over 400 years old.
he did it during a switch out. the tricky bit of standing in a static position is trying to keep blood flowing while not making noticeable moves.
i remember reading (years ago) that the r.m.c.p. have instructions on how to faint in formation. there was a diagram in the article, i had close to the entire office trying it.
the idea was that if you felt faint in formation, you would execute this move, get your self to the ground with out knocking over others in the formation. the move was more of a spiral down on the spot, rather balletic actually, instead of a “timber!” thing that could injure yourself and others.
of course, the macho “i’m fine, i’ll tough it out” thwarted the elegant faint move.
Ok good I’m glad that I’m not the only one who can’t stop watching the people file by. I can’t figure out why it’s so mesmerizing but it is. The old people get to me. There was an old man in his Boy Scout uniform who gave the 3 finger salute that gave me a lump in my throat.
I saw a young girl yesterday, who seemed to give the scout salute. I assume the jackets she and her mother were wearing were typical UK scout kit?
And yes, seeing the older veterans giving a formal salute is cool. Also yesterday I saw a line of perhaps ten police officers file past.
There are a few who just amble along, hands in pockets, which annoys me. Fortunately they’re far outnumbered by those making some gesture of respect; the bow seems the most common. Others are doing a “namaste” and I saw a few going down on one knee, genuflecting.
The queue tracker is now giving the expected wait times. It’s up to 9 hours, with the line 4.2 miles long.
Very strange, the website shows the wait time, but what’s showing up on the link instead is “Check TFL for latest travel info”
ETA: the wait time shows up when the link is clicked
Possibly Girlguides (were they wearing blue?). I saw a piece on BBC News the other day, where the interviewer was talking to young women who were members of a Girlguiding group, about the Queen – as Elizabeth had, herself, been a member of the organization when she was young, and was a patron of the group, they felt that they had a particular connection to her.
It’s very perplexing isn’t it? You waited for hours and hours to pay your respects to the Queen and, when it’s finally your turn, you just sort of casually look and keep on walking.
Maybe I’m giving these kids too much credit, but formal gestures and procedures aren’t something young people are too familiar with these days. If their parents are GenXers, they may not have known to teach them. So when they get to The Spot, they’re too self-conscious to bow (maybe for the first time ever) or curtsy (something modern girls don’t do). It might feel kind of phony to just imitate the older people around you. Obviously they stood in line for hours for some reason, but are at a loss for a gesture that feels comfortable and authentic to them when it’s their turn.
[Aside]I was raised in a household where we never had anyone over, no parties, no social events, so I pretty much grew up not knowing how to behave in public. I didn’t know how to greet someone and shake hands. That was never modeled for me. When I became aware of this deficiency as a teenager, I made it my business to observe others and imitate them. I acquired a collection of etiquette books so I’d know how to behave like a proper grownup. It was hard. It felt like playacting at first. But etiquette is there so you’ll have a rule to follow when you’re ill-at-ease and self-conscious in an unfamiliar place. I feel for kids who are thrown into solemn situations and have never been taught how to be comfortable with formal gestures and behaviors.[/aside]
I observed an Asian man yesterday execute three solemn, deep bows. That’s a culture that knows their way around formal gestures of respect.
On the other hand, those who don’t stop to bow speed things up for everyone else.
And I don’t see many women curtsying; mostly I’m seeing both men and women doing the slight head bow.
Damn you all I’m also watching it now.
I found the ITV live stream has the audio turned up much higher so you get much more atmosphere (though the BBCs stream is suitably more solemn as it feels more muted) - YouTube
Jumping back and forth between the BBC and the ITV streams, they’re not identical. Instead each is showing a different camera view at any given moment.
On the right side of the Queue Tracker, at the bottom, it says
WHAT3WORDS
ALARM.MIME.COULD
What does that mean?
What3words is a webapp that uses 3 distinct words to pinpoint a location on a map - maybe they’re using it to show where the queue starts.
I’m kind of weirded out by the video coverage of people in mourning. These people wait for a long time to have a brief moment, perhaps the most proximate they’ve ever been to the monarch, to give their last respects. It feels very intrusive to be watching them.
Ignorance majorly fought!
I just downloaded it to my phone. Holy shit, this thing is too cool!
@SanVito you’ve earned your keep today-- take the rest of the day off.
HA. I’ve never actually used it, so do report back if you genuinely find it useful!
Weirdly, I think it lends proceedings a community feel which you just don’t get with all the marching soldiers. I like the intimacy of it, a shared grief, if you like. Feels refreshing at a time when the country has felt so divided in recent times (Brexit, lookin’ at you). It’s bringing us back together.
Won’t last, obviously.
I’m not sure how useful it would be in my life. I know this city really well, and frankly, I never go anywhere else. But it is FREAKING cool!
The principle strikes me as being similar to TunyURL-- a short, unique code that takes you to a specific place, in this case a real physical location, not just a URL.
Download the free version and play around with it. You can always dump it after you’ve had your fun (you know what I mean).
I like this take. It’s the last gift she gives to the country.