“She was our Queen for 70 years. We intend to pay our respects even if we have to wait seven hours.”
Peter Tam and his wife Julianna were speaking from Mill Street in Bermondsey, where the the queue to see the Queen lying in state at Westminster Hall had reached by about 1pm on Thursday afternoon (September 15).
Peter said that he was born in Hong Kong in 1953, the same year the Queen was crowned, although she came to the throne in 1952. Later he moved to Canada and became a Canadian citizen, and now he and Julianna live in the UK.
“She was three times my Queen,” he said.
Slightly further up Mill Street was Simon, who had come from Surrey. “I just felt compelled to pay my respects,” he said. “For us and our families, it’s just a good opportunity to share our emotions.” Asked if he had the day off from work, he said: “I’m self-employed, so I gave myself permission.”
Married couple Tarlok and Jas had come into London from Hayes, near Heathrow. Tarlok, a retiree, said that they really wanted to pay their respects and that they chose today because his wife had the day off.
The queue was moving at a brisk pace, punctuated with periods of standing still. Dozens of people were joining every few minutes, and stewards further up the bank of the Thames were prepared for the arrival of fresh mourners later that afternoon.
Mohed and Abdulrehman were having a quick lunch break before the queue reached their part of Bermondsey, on Loftie Street. They said they had been at work since 6.30 that morning and were about halfway through their shift.
Abdulrehman, a journalist in his native Pakistan who is looking to break back into the industry, said the agency work he had been doing since December was not too bad. Mohed said: “We really like the Queen. Her majesty is legendary.”
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