Paying our respects

When Jan Butler of London Walkers and Talkers Trefoil and Ann Byrne of Waveney Trefoil saw The Queen’s coffin lying-in-state in Edinburgh they decided to show their own appreciation in London

The day began with a 4am drive to Epping from Bury St Edmunds, arriving at Tower Hill at 6.30am. After a 25-minute walk, we joined the queue in East London, near to Bermondsey Underground station, and started our long wait.

As we moved through Butler’s Wharf and on to the embankment, we suddenly realised that the route had been cleverly designed to pass by buildings and monuments with much significance to Her Majesty The Queen.

On the South Bank, where the queue meandered for as far as the eye could see, most of the buildings have been designed and built in the past 70 years and some even earlier than that when The Queen was still a princess. Over those decades she would have seen so much change in London, with varying styles of architecture and building methods. Iconic buildings like the OXO Tower and Butler’s Wharf have been converted into homes; amazing structures like The Shard, The Royal

National Theatre, The London Eye and The Globe have been newly built.

All this history and the changing scenery helped the time to pass quickly. In addition, friendships, albeit temporary, were created with people in the queue. We shared experiences of The Queen, laughed and joked. The thousands of volunteers regularly checked we were still healthy, police officers offered to take photographs for family albums, street pastors were interested in our Anglia Trefoil Guild jackets and all the while the River Thames, used for so many jubilee celebrations, ebbed and flowed.

After a remarkable six hours, we finally walked under Waterloo Bridge to be excited by the view of Big Ben (The Elizabeth Tower) and The Palace of Westminster. A cheer went up; people who had begun to wane suddenly had new energy; we were nearly there! We then entered Jubilee Gardens adjoining the London Eye. But it was four hours later before we finally negotiated the zigzag paths in Victoria Tower Gardens and realised that the moment was getting ever closer. Two hours later we had successfully negotiated security checks, climbing the steps into historic Westminster Hall at 7.25pm. The mood of the people who had waited so long became sombre.

The total silence was overwhelming, the ancient venue in itself was humbling to view, but there, perched high on the catafalque in front of us, was the reason for more than 12 hours of queueing. The coffin, draped in the Royal Standard and topped with flowers, the crown, the orb and sceptre, seemed surreal.

Just as we arrived, the queue was halted in order to change the guard, so we were able to take in more of the surroundings. The hammering of the cane on the stone floor resounded eerily in the stillness. Just the footsteps of the soldiers and the Yeoman of The Guard broke the serenity of the moment. Meanwhile, mourners stood motionless in tranquil wonder.

As we finally moved towards the coffin, we were struck by how small the Imperial State Crown appeared in reality but were stunned by its beauty; the precious jewels shimmered under the bright lights. We moved forward, curtseyed, and made the Guide Sign and the sad moment of respect was finished.

As we walked away, we both turned to look back for one final time to thank our Sovereign for all she has achieved in our whole lives. As the Patron of Girlguiding, she has been an incredible role model to millions of girls over seven decades. ‘Your Majesty, you certainly kept your Guide Promise, which you made when you were a young princess. Thank you for 70 years of dedicated service.’