SYou have already taken up position. And one of the first, if not the first, is Vanessa Nathakumaran: the 56-year-old woman from Harrow near London has been standing on Lambeth Bridge since Monday noon shortly before twelve, just a few minutes’ walk from Westminster Hall, where her coffin was buried on Wednesday queen arrives. There it will be publicly exhibited on a catafalque from 5 p.m. to Monday morning at 6.30 a.m. – and around the clock. Hundreds of thousands are expected, and the waiting time to even get close to the dead is said to be up to twelve hours.
Vanessa Nathakumaran doesn’t contest that. The long wait doesn’t bother her, she doesn’t even think about it. Her only goal is to pay her respects to the woman who has done so much for her country and the Commonwealth. Her daughters bring her something to eat and drink between meals and a change of clothes, she told ITV News on Monday. Whether she actually spent the night on the bridge was still open on Tuesday.
millions of people expected
The body of the late Queen of Scotland was brought to England on Tuesday evening. The coffin was flown from Scotland to Northolt Air Force Base in the west of the British capital in a British Air Force transport plane, accompanied by Elizabeth’s sister Princess Anne. Meanwhile, preparations are underway for Elizabeth II to be laid in state and, above all, for the procession that will take her coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall on Wednesday. The first dress rehearsals took place on Tuesday night, with a black-covered wooden box. Elizabeth’s coffin will be covered by the Royal Standard on Wednesday, as well as the orb and scepter, the most important insignia of the monarchy.
The new head of the Metropolitan Police Force, Sir Mark Rowley, spoke of a “massive challenge” that his officers would face in the next few days. The queue of people waiting could be several kilometers long and stretch on the south side of the Thames at least as far as Tower Bridge. The last time there was a laying-out in Westminster Hall was in the spring of 2002. At that time, an estimated 200,000 people came to say goodbye to Queen Elizabeth’s mother, the Queen Mum. This time it could be more than a million. Two million people are expected at the funeral on Monday alone.
There will also be restrictions at the country’s most important airport, London Heathrow, on Wednesday. Out of respect for the late Queen, there will be flight delays as, among other things, the approach lanes over downtown will not be used during the procession.
There are strict requirements for queuing: a small backpack is allowed, a folding chair is not. In fact, nobody should be forced to spend the night outdoors. That’s why bracelets with numbers should be issued. But it is doubtful whether those waiting will simply give up their seats. That’s why the government recommends thinking about appropriate clothing (at least this Wednesday it’s supposed to rain), food and drink, and medication. And of course the ability to charge your cell phone.
