And done.
I never appreciated just how much Peter and Zara resemble their grandparents. Peter is the spitting image of Philip and Zara looks like a blonde Elizabeth.
I saw people filing by and wiping their eyes, and like @ThelmaLou found that my room is dusty too.
There’s 30 years between the eldest grandchild (Peter Phillips born 1977) and James (born 2007)
What medals does the Viscount Severn have?
The Diamond Jubilee and Platinum Jubilee medal. Those in addition to the Golden Jubilee medal are what Peter Philips has.
It still gets me when an average-looking guy kind of slouches his way up, maybe in a beret with some medals on his* chest or maybe not, and then stops, turns, and snaps into ramrod-straight posture. Then slowly executes a perfect salute. Many quickly bow their heads briefly after saluting, do a precise turn, and walk away.
* Virtually all I’ve seen are men in many hours of watching.
Following this thread feels like standing in a virtual version of The Queue. Thanks everyone, enjoying it immensely
Full disclosure: I’m watching it on two screens. BBC on my large computer monitor and ITV on my television. [The BBC feed is a couple of seconds after the ITV feed. This is on YouTube.] It is very cathartic in some strange way that I haven’t figured out yet. It’s the epitome of liminal time-- time outside of time, a suspended, transitional, waiting place.
Oddly, it bears some similarity to sitting shiva, the Jewish seven-day intense mourning period after someone’s death. During shiva, you, well, you sit. You are relieved of all regular life duties and activities, and you are permitted, nay, encouraged to be with your grief and loss. The shiva after my husband’s death saved my life and sanity.
I haven’t intentionally looked upon this many individual human faces in probably my whole life. Certainly not in a space of four days.
Agree. It’s very strange.
I was glued to our tiny black and white TV in the four days after JFK’s death (I was 15), but the coverage, needless to say, wasn’t even remotely close to being like this.
I did see Jack Ruby shoot Lee Harvey Oswald on live TV.
Not to sound stupid but instead of a 6 mile line of people they could have driven her around London in a loop so many more people could see her coffin and line the procession with flowers. It would allow the elderly who remember her the longest to be able to participate.
This waiting just seems like torture.
It would not have the same ritual impact as having a ritualized rotation of guards in a 1000 year old hall.
There’s been a bit of driving and a bit of staying still. The mourning rituals don’t all make sense to me, but then they don’t have to. I sometimes think the inconvenience is part of the catharsis for some people.
Agreed that all of the veterans I’ve seen have been male, but I did see a woman in fatigues and beret stop and do a snappy salute.
And two of the Yeomen that I saw were women, one there during the grandchildren’s Vigil and another on the next shift.
I’ve been watching the great variety of bows, some deep, others small and quick. Some seem embarrassed as they bow. And a few women do a curtsy, some a slight bob while others do a deep, slow one. I just saw a woman “take a knee”. And there are women who curtsy and then bow.
I kind of get that but you can put the guards on horses drawing a carriage and still have the solemn pageantry. More so if you think about it.
Imagine the JFK funeral procession with all the imagery of the Royal Guard.
I honestly think it would project a powerful and cathartic experience on a grander scale that could be experienced by more people. End the procession with a cannon solute. Doesn’t get more memorable if you’ve ever experienced cannon fire.
There was a funeral procession (actually two); on Monday, from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles Cathedral (in Edinburgh) and then on Wednesday from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall (in London).
And then on Monday, there will be a funeral procession from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey. And then one more procession in Windsor to the church where she will be interred.
This has got to be one of the biggest turnouts of mourning for a public figure.
So it looks like they are able to accommodate those who can’t stand in line for long periods of time. Good deal.
A bit surprized he got past the guys with swords and sticks.
Plans for all of this in the most minute detail have existed for decades. Operation London Bridge which is regularly reviewed to take account of changing circumstances covers everything from the initial telephone calls to the final interment in St George’s Chapel and probably beyond.
Who lowers flags to half-mast on government buildings, The Queue (although that does seem to have exceeded expectations) and of course the vast security operation for the funeral, is all planned and everyone knows what they have to do.
Someone today on the radio compared The Queue to a pilgrimage. People who take part in traditional pilgrimages describe the journey and the people they meet along the way as at least as important as the destination. And you get bragging rights - “six hours… I queued for fourteen and most of it was in the dark and cold.”
I’m sorry I missed both of those this past week; too busy at work with a matter that required attention.
Is there any way to find it online to watch?