The neighbourhood send off for the Queen was really lovely. We were the first group to greet her hearse as it left the A40 and entered London / City of Westminster. Most of the people lived in the immediate vicinity and it wasn’t terribly crowded, generally just 1-2 people deep, but a continuous stretch of people as far as you could see. We stood in the rain under a canopy of trees. A few leaves fell as we stood; the crowd was so still that the falling leaves seemed to be the only motion. Today is the first day this year I can recall seeing leaves fall, which seemed appropriate. The cell networks were all jammed, but because people lived so close, a few could reach their Wi-Fi signals and kept tabs on the coffin’s progress via BBC for the rest of us.
The mood was quiet and solemn and had a small community feel to it even in the middle of central London, two miles from the palace. Just like Buckingham Palace on the night of her death, there were lots of people speaking foreign languages and immigrant families, e.g., parents speaking a foreign language and children speaking English.
I took a video, but it probably looks no different than what was on tv, so I won’t post it unless someone is really curious. I’m sure Princess Anne was in one of the cards behind the hearse, but I didn’t take my eyes off of the draped casket. After the motorcade, there was a a second identical special hearse, I guess in case of accident or breakdown. Plan for every eventuality.
I’m so glad I did this. It’s one of my favourite London memories even though it’s a bittersweet one. RIP, QE2. I’ll miss your presence.
I feel like I’ve properly said my little goodbye now, so I’m intending to leave from Thursday to Monday to avoid the circus of motorcades, helicopters, crowds, and everything else.
news.sky.com
www.nytimes.com
