A Call for What Once Was: The Late Night Jitney

The Queen’s Passing: A Continental’s London Experience

Camille Martin

On September 8, 2022, as the news of Queen Elizabeth II’s passing broke in the media, I was attempting not to bust open the zipper on my suitcase while packing for my semester abroad in London. I knew very little about the Royal Family apart from what I learned from the Meghan and Harry Oprah interview, yet, in a few days’ time, I would find myself in the center of one of Britain’s most significant events, learning firsthand.

It is said that British people love to queue, and the days leading up to the funeral provided the greatest evidence for this stereotype. Three days before the funeral, I was walking with a few friends when we encountered the famous 24-hour-long queue to see the Queen’s casket lying in state in Westminster Hall. We asked a woman in line how long she had been waiting, to which she replied “six hours, and still miles from Westminster Abbey.” People of all ages and origins were lined up: elderly men and women, college students, celebrities such as David Beckham, and young children taken on momentous, but slightly cruel, school trips. They were nowhere near the Queen’s resting place but didn’t plan on bowing out anytime soon.

Prior to arriving in the UK, this kind of display of affection for a political leader was something that I never could have fathomed. The entirety of the park adjacent to Buckingham Palace was flooded with bouquets of flowers, stuffed animals, and handwritten letters to the Queen, arranged around trees and in paths for visitors to walk through. Union Jack flags printed with the words “In Loving Memory of Queen Elizabeth II” along with a photo of her face were being sold on every corner, and nearly every business had some kind of tribute in their window. It was and still is, impossible to turn anywhere in the city without a mention of the late Queen.

The day of the Queen’s funeral was unlike anything I have ever experienced. The streets were unusually quiet, and the sound of cars was replaced by helicopters hovering above the city. I put Hyde Park into my phone maps but quickly realized there was no need for directions; masses of people had gathered in the streets and all heading in the same direction. Police officers were ushering people away from overcrowded viewing spots, but had clearly given up on regulating crowds closest to Hyde Park. People, including myself, began hopping the stone wall outside the park to reach the giant screens projecting the funeral ceremony and the street where the procession would be passing.

Upwards of one million people came from near and far to view the funeral procession. In my section alone, there was an elderly couple, two men who traveled from Turkey, and a father keeping a close eye on his young daughter in the front row with her friends. During a nearly citywide rendition of “God Save the Queen”, a little girl to my left hopped onto her mother’s shoulders and held up a neon yellow sign reading “ILYSM Queen Lizzie <3.” Clearly, the Queen was a woman beloved by all generations, from those who had seen her reign from start to finish to those growing up speaking in strictly text lingo.

To these people, catching a glimpse of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral procession, even if for only a matter of seconds, was worth walking for miles and standing for hours. This level of devotion may be hard to comprehend from an outsider’s perspective, but it is important to note that Britain will not see another female monarch in the foreseeable future, certainly not in my lifetime. It is quite possible that they may never again see such a long-reigning monarch at all.

It was truly moving to be in London to experience the nation’s deep sorrow of losing their Queen of seventy years but to also take part in the celebration of her life. It is something that will be forever ingrained in my memory: a piece of history that I will share with my future children and grandchildren—and even gift to them the British flag I bought for a pound along the way.