WHAT IT WAS LIKE BEING IN LONDON IN SEPTEMBER 2022
In early September 2022, the JE advertising team was headed to London to meet a school group coming over from the States to tour Greater London. Despite all of our trip preparations ahead of time, nothing could have prepared us for the unexpected adventure that awaited us. Just minutes after landing, we were witness to history unfolding before our very eyes.
Just 10 minutes after our arrival at Buckingham Palace on September 8th, the Union Jack flag flying high above Buckingham Palace was lowered to half-mast announcing Queen Elizabeth II’s death. A silent hush swept over the crowd as the reality of the meaning behind this action sank in. We froze and waited alongside thousands of Palace visitors for the official announcement of her death. At last, two guards emerged from the palace doors with a plaque that would confirm the shocking news. The Queen had passed away.
“She just was admired all around the world really, nobody would have a bad thing to say about her.”
– British woman at Buckingham Palace
It didn’t take long for the crowd to double, then triple less than an hour after the announcement. We quickly noticed that this crowd was different than most large-group gatherings, taking on a very calm, somber, and kind demeanor. The people of London were coming together to pay their respects to their Queen and the Palace gates quickly became consumed with flowers.
As the crowds continued to grow, pockets of groups around us broke out in song, singing God Save the Queen. The police were patiently setting up barricades, attempting to bring order to the ever-growing crowds. People of all ages were gathered together singing, laying flowers at the gates, and simply taking in the historic moments unfolding before their eyes.
“I had someone in the back of my cab when I found out, and we were all crying. I dropped them off, turned my light off, and headed for the mall because this is what us black cabs do. We did it when Prince Phillip died too. Of course, I am sad. I can’t believe it.”
– London cab driver at Buckingham Palace
The series of events following the Queen’s death were as follows:
THURSDAY SEPT. 8
The queen died at age 96 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Her death triggered a dormant plan called Operation Unicorn. In London, a notice of the death was placed on the gates outside Buckingham Palace and remained for 24 hours. Across the Commonwealth, flags were flown at half-mast.
FRIDAY SEPT. 9
The government declared a period of national mourning through the end of the day of the state funeral (Sept 19).
SATURDAY, SEPT. 10
The new king, King Charles III, was proclaimed.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 13
The Queen was transferred from Scotland to Buckingham Palace in London.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 14
The Queen was brought from the Palace to Westminster Hall. The lying in state began and lasted until Sept 19. Members of the public were allowed to wait in line and pay their respects.
MONDAY, SEPT. 19
The Queen’s funeral began at 11 am. This day was considered a national holiday. After the funeral, the coffin was taken to Windsor. Her final resting place is in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, alongside her husband Prince Phillip, her parents, and her sister.
“It’s really sad, and you can feel it. I’ve got a lot of messages from my American friends. For us, it’s one thing, but it goes around the world doesn’t it?”
– British man at Buckingham Palace
In the days leading up to the funeral, the city continually filled with people from all over the world coming to pay their respects to the Queen. The tube stations were packed to the brim with eager people, causing many tube lines to close and more pedestrian traffic than expected. The difficulties this caused in no way compared to the once-in-a-lifetime history that our group got to witness during their week in London.
Our group decided to further partake in the historical events unfolding around us by joining the queue to pay our respects to Queen Elizabeth II. Based on a quick poll of other vigil queue members, we concluded the entire ordeal should take no longer than 3 or 4 hours maximum. What we didn’t know at the time was that we were joining the line just a few hours after it was opened to the public, so not much was known about the line process at that time. On the evening of September 15th, we joined the queue at 10:30 pm, and we truly had no idea what awaited us.
We began our queue experience with high hopes and low expectations. We made friends with our British queue mates and we all attempted to distract each other as the reality of what we had signed up for began to set it. Hour two quickly passed and it was starting to get late. Our new British mates were impressed with us, albeit slightly confused, at why a random group of Americans were choosing to stand up all night in the cold to pay their respects to a foreign country’s Queen. If we had known then just how long the night would last, believe me, we would have reconsidered our life choices. But we were naive, and the night was still young. Well.. it was 12:30am but we didn’t care. Our adrenaline was spurring us on!
Hour 5 hit us hard. We approached what we thought was the end of the line just south of Westminster Hall. Unbeknownst to us, we still had over 3 hours of Disneyland-style rows of back-and-forth lines to pass through. As the exhaustion hit new levels, our group took turns sitting down on the banks of the Thames. I curled up by the river on a piece of pavement and closed my eyes long enough to give me the energy to continue. I wasn’t sure how my back, legs, and feet could go on any further.
Hour 7 hit even harder. The sun began to rise while our spirits continued to fall. The realization that we might not get to see the Queen after all this waiting was devastating. We had an early bus to catch later that morning. Would we get through the line in time to see her? Common sense told us that surely it wouldn’t take too much longer.
Sure enough, hour 8 approached at 6:24 am as we approached the security tent. The security was similar to airport security but much stricter, with frankly double the available lines you’d typically find at most airports. There were no liquids, foods, or electronics allowed past this point. The curbs we passed were lined with hundreds of perfume bottles, hand sanitizers, water bottles, packaged food wrappers, and so much more. At this point, no cost was too high – we had to get inside. One member of our group had her Apple Watch taken during the security checkpoint and had to leave security without it being returned. Her exact words after 8hours of waiting were, “Who cares, I guess I’ll just buy another one”. In our exhaustion of queuing, our excitement had been dampened and we weren’t thinking clearly. We just wanted to see the Queen!
At last, it was finally time. We entered the doors at Westminster Hall, turned the corner, and took in our surroundings. Lying atop her casket were the Royal Imperial Crown, the Royal Scepter, and the Royal Orb. Her casket was surrounded by 10 members of The Queen’s Guard dressed in royal attire. After all of the waiting, we did to get to that moment, that’s when the reality of the historic moment hit me. I will never be in a more important room on this earth. As we took it all in, the exhaustion dimmed and all we were left with was the weight of this significant historical moment.
“It’s a big loss. She’s been here for all of our lives.”
– Australian woman at Buckingham Palace
This was truly a historic tour filled with once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for not only our group but for all of us present in London. The group got to watch history unfold before their very eyes, and left London with incredibly unique perspectives of the world around them.
I’ll never forget this trip & I hope the students on our tour never take for granted the unique stories they will be able to share for the rest of their lives
-Abby Murphy
Visual Communications Specialist
Joshua Expeditions
