What an honor it was to file past the casket of Queen Elizabeth II today and to even set foot in that great hall in the Palace of Westminster that dates back to 1097. My trip to London was a resounding success.
It Was Worth The Wait: Farewell To Queen Elizabeth II
Everything worked out on this trip. If you’re still hoping to file past the Queen, let me offer this advice: bring a jacket and gloves. I looked at the lows in the forecast and thought it would not be too bad…but the coldest part of the day was around 4:00 am and it was quite chilly to be standing outside, even in lines that were frequently moving.
I want to again offer great thanks to all the thousands of people who mobilized a plan that has been ready to precisely execute for many years to honor Queen Elizabeth II and allow the hundreds of thousands of her subjects and her admirers to also pay tribute. The system worked well.
Once you reach the front of the line, just outside Westminster Palace, you go through airport-style security. My bag was permitted through, but very carefully checked by hand and again by a metal detector.
I was also patted down. Liquids of any kind are not permitted. I had some 0.5oz hand sanitizer in little packets from Virgin Atlantic that were taken.
Once past security, there was a final short queue to enter Westminster. Ushers solemnly nodded as I entered via a side door onto the landing of the grand staircase that moments later you will walk down to pay your respects to the Queen. In my case, I got to stay an extra couple of minutes because there was a change of guard (this occurs every 20 minutes…try to stand like a statue for longer than that…).
I was delighted that there was total silence. Everyone was respectful. No selfies or pictures. The woman in front of me broke down in tears when she saw the casket. Many bowed or genuflected as they walked by. The jewels on the crown sitting on top of the casket glistened in the light.
It was a beautiful tribute to a woman who performed her duty for so long, so well.
As an American, I hold Queen Elizabeth II in such high regard not because she was my Queen, but because she dedicated her life to public service and distinguished herself from her peers (indeed, so many of her family members) by reflecting the spotlight off herself and by being that still, quiet, yet strong voice of continuity that spanned 15 prime ministers and the evolution of the British Empire to The Commonwealth of Nations.
Elizabeth II stands in a unique position as having been groomed almost her entire life to be Queen. When Edward VIII abdicated in 1936, Elizabeth was 10 years old. As the firstborn of George VI, she was next in line to the throne and even her youth was centered on preparation for what was to come. The words on her 21st birthday remain so prescient:
“I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong. But I shall not have strength to carry out this resolution alone unless you join in it with me, as I now invite you to do: I know that your support will be unfailingly given. God help me to make good my vow, and God bless all of you who are willing to share in it.”
We live in such a “me first” generation (and admittedly, I can be guilty of this too), obsessed with self-gratification, personal autonomy, and a decadent lifestyle. Our celebrity-obsessed culture fills a void that the monarchy, in a much more benign way, helps to fill. As C.S. Lewis quipped:
“Where men are forbidden to honour a king they honour millionaires, athletes, or film-stars instead: even famous prostitutes or gangsters. For spiritual nature, like bodily nature, will be served; deny it food and it will gobble poison.”
It still hits me that Queen Elizabeth II was on the throne before my mother was born. That her reign was longer than many people live. And as her annual Christmas messages reminded us each year, she stood as a beacon of strength and familiarity in a world that was indeed changing so fast.
Why do I like the monarchy and all the religious trappings of that tradition as an American? Because it reminds us that there is something bigger and greater than ourselves.
“Grief is the price we pay for love.”
CONCLUSION
For the rest of my life, I’ll look back on the last 24 hours with great appreciation and admiration. I shall be up early to watch the funeral on Monday and in the meantime, invite you to reflect upon the unique honor we all share to live our lives in service to others, as Queen Elizabeth II did.
Now I’m going to sleep:
How long did you queue then?
I read it has been almost 14 hours …
My wait ended up being about 12 hours.
+10 virtue signaling points awarded. Congrats!
How boorish of you.
What does that even mean (to you, because it means nothing to everyone else)?
I wasn’t amused by the comment.
There’s a maga crapa flautua in every crowd…..
Well if that’s all it takes to make you happy, by all means queue up everywhere. Everyone is quirky in their own way, and happy, if quirky people are better than unhappy and straight.
Perhaps there are other queues in LA you can join. Will someone need to sleep in a casket for you?
I didn’t do it to make me happy. I did it out of respect.
The queen was fondly remembered because she was a blank slate, not having strong opinions on anything, or at least not ones she shared publicly. Similar to all the Asian women that white guys fetishize. No strong opinions.
Where does the respect come from? Looking up to her as a grandmother maybe, fond, warm memories but not sure why anyone who didn’t grow up close to her would care.
All really weird for me to process. Another example of how easily manipulated people can be and why religion still does so well in this world.
Fair enough. I tried to explain my thought process above and don’t really know how to add to it. I do udnersatnd that a monarchy and this particular Queen do not appeal to many.
I bet you are not fun at parties.
Which is ironic because I’d bet money you never get invited to parties…..
Matthew – happy you had a good trip and got to pay your respects.
This topic is touchy because the Queen was a symbol of colonization due to her position. When she became Queen, most of Africa was still colonized. In her life she didn’t do much to denounce the evils of imperialism. Large swaths of the world have nothing but ill-will towards the head of the British Empire.
I understand not bringing up these topics in a blog as it’s a charged topic, but wanted to drop my 2c 🙂
Thank you for your comment and we certainly can discuss the difficult issues of colonization as the Empire waned, including the Mau Mau rebellion in Kenya.
Britain won those colonies fair and square. To the victors go the spoils. Don’t like it?
Win your own darn rebellion!
Like the USA did over 200 years ago…..
How many times and in how many articles are you going to paste these exact words?
See my comments above sore loser…..
Awesome. So glad you were able to get inside to see the Queen. I too have a great admiration for the Queen. I wish I could have flown to London too and paid my respects in person.
You’ve misquoted her speech. The first sentence doesn’t make sense, and the penultimate sentence is a lot funnier than you (and she) intended.
Please elucidate.
“ I know that your support will be unfairly given.”
She said “unfailingly,” so unless you’re trying to slip in stealth anti-monarchy satire, it’s a pretty funny typo.
The first sentence has had “that” switched for “with” and it doesn’t make sense. She was many things, but a mangler of The Queen’s English she was not.
Yep, my bad. Thank you!
Is your Google translate broken?
Sadly for you, “you can’t fix stupid-Einstein.”
Foxworth stole it from the big E!
@ Matthew: I am so glad that you made it. Great memories to cherish!
It looks like you flew B6 to head back to the US. I imagine that are already in NY.
Thank you Matthew for the effort extended to go and the effort to write such a warm post. I particularly enjoyed the Lewis quote. You’ve allowed us once again to go vicariously through you. I’m grateful.
Ward
Nice post. I would argue that going to “the Queue” is worth it simply because it is unknown how long King Charles will remain on the throne, and for many it is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Did you encounter any other Americans while in the line? And if you had to step out to use the toilet where you able to keep your spot? And finally you observe people quitting the line? Kind of sad to read that you said people weren’t friendly or talkative.
I did not encounter other Americans. All Brits.
Queuing for hours just to see a coffin is such an absurd thing to me that my thoughts about the monarchy or the deceased person are completely irrelevant- but if it makes people happy, they should by all means do it.
On the subject of how monarchy works, particularly in the UK [and Spain], I think that there are people working for the families in question, or associated with them, who have been particularly successful in setting the media agenda and generally controlling the narrative.
I don’t begrudge absolutely anyone who leverages welfare systems and does well out of them, and I am not even hung up on such actions being technically legal- e.g. I have no problem with a single mother ‘forgetting’ to declare a partner, or the owner of a solvent business taking advantage of state subsidies and/or cheap loans that are intended for ones that are struggling. However, while I think that people who act in that sort of way are doing the right thing for themselves and their immediate stakeholders (e.g. family members or employees), I would not consider them to be beacons of public service, and I cannot see why anyone else would do that [unless of course they don’t know about it]. https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2010/sep/24/queen-poverty-grant-buckingham-palace
LOL You left out “welfare queens driving Cadillacs!
There are very few Cadillacs in England – although many do get their BMWs and Audis subsidised by the state through the Motability scheme- and of course they’re absolutely entitled to maximise their benefits.
(Disclosure: I don’t receive any welfare benefits, but I do work in the public sector, so I am very much part of the wider system)
Thank you for posting. I would go too if I could. She was an extraordinary person.
I also love your C.S. Lewis quote. He is one of my favorite authors/Christian authors.
Pics of the casket or it didn’t happen.
Nice report Matthew. I’m happy for you it worked out.
The British: Masters of wearing silly hats…..
I have zero desire go to such lengths to pay respects to any head of state. But I can see this meant a lot to you, so I’m glad it worked out for you in the end.
I would like to share a story that I think you would appreciate. The Queen made a visit to India in 1961, and briefly visited Chennai during that trip. My mother was 14 at the time, and a relative (in her recollection, it was her grandmother, but according to my aunt, her sister in law, it was someone else) took her to see the Queen as she was paraded through the city. My mother remarked that Elizabeth II was “the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in her life”. It was an impression that sticks with her even 61 years later; my mother was always an admirer of Elizabeth II as far back as I can remember. I’m sure she would have found a way to do what you did if we lived in the UK.
To those who view Elizabeth II and the British monarchy as a symbol of the abuses of colonialism, fair enough. But the reality is, there are many of her former subjects that have only positive memories of Elizabeth II the person.
Your mother must not have seen many women if she thinks Liz was/is the most beautiful woman ever.
Congratulations! So lucky to have been there at the change of the guard.
Watching the video, I am surprised at the people who lack respect and do not do a deep bow like is done in Japan. Many people merely nod their head a little. There are also not people sobbing like in Chinese funerals where professionals who can cry are hired.
I can’t cry spontaneously but I would give a deep bow of nearly 90 degrees.
I want to comment respectfully but I do admit it is difficult. Colonization and massive other concerns aside — Prince Andrew and Epstein is just one of thousands that immediately come to mind — she had Diana murdered. Did we already forget this? The admiration of the Queen is just too much and too unbelievable when putting many real issues into perspective. That being said, I will say that you look outstanding in your photo. You have clearly done work on your style and appearance compared to older appearances and it’s A+. Take it as a compliment, because it is. And remember Princess Diana, because she was my princess — to your Queen.
Princess Diana was certainly not treated well by the late Queen, sadly used and then dumped once she provided two heirs to the British monarchy. But Diana showed true genuineness in her compassion and humanity to others, and her humanity transcended races, which we cannot say the same of the late queen who was only genuine in not making any stand at all and whitewashing the crimes of the British Empire. We remember back in 1997 how people wondered why the late Queen was so cold in her response to Diana’s death, so bad was the backlash that Elizabeth then had to make a last minute address to the public to prevent further hostilities towards the toxic monarchy she headed.
I think it’s problematic when people have have such a devotion to another human being. The queen isn’t made from molecules that are any different than anyone else, she just lucked into a ridiculous system. The same goes for politicians, athletes, and celebrities.
To All the people that pay their hard earned money and buy football jerseys with another grown mans name, or a flag with their favorite politicians: Have some self respect, they dont care if you live or die!
Fully agree with Bob. I am still a bit shocked by a colleague (normally quite down-to-earth and pragmatic) who has said that he thought of the deceased person as a grandmother of sorts. I certainly wish to respect people’s views on the issue, but some of those views I really am struggling to comprehend.
The coffin is empty
Congrats on your successful mission, Matthew!!
Separating people from liquids as they enter. It’s like apartheid all over again.
A holocaust of plastic disposal.
Good riddance
Hope you got to see yourself in the livestream!
The Queen’s first duty before anything else was keeping the monarchy going and naking sure her kids and family inherited all of her coins.
Did you queue 12 hours on your own or did your friend (who you mentioned in your previous post) assist you with the process?
The friend ended up not showing up – it was just me.
Thank you for sharing your experience Matthew. And I am glad your mission was accomplished. As long as you are happy with what you do, and it is does not harm others, I think it is okay. Its good to pay respect to those who have passed away, and remember what goods they have done (we all have our good and bad side).
I can understand the grieve of the people, as six years ago I loss my king (King Rama 9 of Thailand). It was a great loss to the people as we have seen him pretty much all our life and of what he had done for the country. People line up for hours also just for a short moment to pay respect to him, just like they are doing now.
Americans can relate to this outpouring of respect and appreciation for a remarkable leader. We all feel the same way about President Biden!
Wow, so many haters.
Thanks for sharing your experience that meant a lot to you.
Congratulations, Matthew! I wish I could have gone. I went for Charles and Diana’s wedding in 1981 and it was sensational – a treasured memory. Christine
All these liberal nut cases condemning the Queen and giving their ridiculous comments just goes to show how rotten bloody liberals nut cases have evolved. They are so entitled to their idiotic way of life and probably so miserable with themselves that they think they can tell people what right and what’s wrong. Pathetic fools. This world especially with American liberalism is a joke to the rest of the world. No respect no dignity!
Rip HM The Queen you served with such grace, honor and dignity and Long Live the King . Let’s hope he carries on with the same level of honor as you, your majesty.
“probably so miserable with themselves that they think they can tell people what right and what’s wrong”
Er, isn’t that what you are doing now? If people want to mourn the Queen, that’s fine. If people don’t, that’s fine too.
Thanks for this beautiful post. I love living vicariously through you!
No other country, save North Korea, has been more indoctrinated.
As a once famous song says:”your where you should be all the time”. Also. Elizabeth was not the queen of America. Your “respect” is kind of silly. You waited 12 hours just for the bragging rights. It’s obvious.
Well done Matthew. I respect the effort you put in and like reading your coverage of this and other funerals (e.g. US Presidents, Supreme Court Justices etc.)
Congrats. I envy you. I could not be in London due to financial problems. I do really wish to be there in personal. It must hsve s great experience to finally say good bye.
From me personally: good job!
mf a monchary stan LMAO
actually psychotic
ding dong the witch is dead, may the colonialist b!tch rest in piss