'There'll never be a moment like the queue for the Queen again as there won't ever be a monarch like her'

16 September 2022, 19:43 | Updated: 16 September 2022, 20:07

Mourners are queuing for hours to say their farewell to the Queen.
Mourners are queuing for hours to say their farewell to the Queen. Picture: Alamy

By Ben Kentish

Surely, no other room has witnessed quite so much. Once, the high, arched, oak beams of Westminster Hall looked down upon coronation banquets: of Normans, Tudors, Stuarts; of Richard the Lionheart, Henry VIII, Elizabeth I.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

The towering stone walls played host to the trials of Guy Fawkes and Thomas More, saw King Charles I sentenced to death, watched over the inauguration of Cromwell’s protectorate.

On these flagstones, Winston Churchill lay in state, Nelson Mandela reflected on the end of apartheid, Barack Obama insisted to MPs and peers that yes, they could. Here, Popes, presidents and other world leaders, now long dead, addressed the oldest of parliaments at pivotal moments in human history.

Now, today, the vaulted eaves gaze down upon two ragged lines of people, a purple platform, a coffin draped in the Royal Standard. On top has been placed a wreath and a crown. Around it, 10 guards, clad head to toe in gold and crimson regalia, stand rigid and motionless. The flames of four candles flicker at each corner.

This is the sight that thousands upon thousands have queued for hours to see. Outside, in the lines that snake their way down the Thames, there is a buzz. The mood is jovial, excitable, anticipatory. Friends have been made, stories and numbers exchanged, cold nights and sore feet endured. As they approach the Palace of Westminster, zig-zagging through Victoria Gardens, passing through a hastily-erected security tent, the volume grows.

Read more: Queen queue reopens with a stark warning that mourners face 24-hour wait and cold overnight temperatures

Read more: 'It meant so much to sing God Save the Queen': Tearful David Beckham joins thousands in massive queue for late monarch

Thousands of mourners pay their respects to the late Queen in Westminster Hall.
Thousands of mourners pay their respects to the late Queen in Westminster Hall. Picture: Alamy

Inside, though, there is silence - the only sound the muffled footsteps and the slow, steady clomp of the guards’ feet as they replace each other. The hall echoes with the sound of their boots, as it echoes with the sounds of centuries past. Every 20 minutes it happens, like clockwork: a sword is banged twice on the stone floor, the queue stops, 10 guards march slowly in, 10 march out. In between, the air is still. People move slowly. No one speaks. The hush is reverent, charged. The sense of occasion, of history, of emotion, of respect, makes them mute. Sound seems somehow unbefitting here; quiet reigns.

It takes those who have queued for hours barely a minute, maybe two, to walk the length of the Hall, to file past the coffin. Some do not break step, strolling casually through. Most pause, turning towards the platform to bow, or curtsey, or cross themselves, or dab their eyes. Others simply stop and stare, unsure of what to do with this briefest of moments, this fleeting audience with their Queen, that they have waited so long to attend.

What they all do is look back. Reaching the huge wooden doors at the end of Westminster Hall, they pause, glancing over their shoulders for one final look – at the platform, the coffin, the 70-year reign, the memories, taking in this moment, in this most historic of halls, that they will never experience again. Perhaps some, in their minds, see a 25-year-old taking to the throne, or a young woman arm-in-arm with a Duke; perhaps they remember the Christmas Day speeches, the addresses to the nation at times of joy and darkness, or the bright skirt suits, or the radiant smile. Perhaps they simply see the coffin, draped in purple and gold.

This is all they will have to remember. No phones are allowed here – the selfies and videos that record every other aspect of modern life are no use. The memories of the hundreds of thousands who pass through this Hall will be formed only from their eyes, their emotions.

They leave, and then the emotion comes. Tears flow. Friends and relatives hug each other tight. Strangers put their arms around each other. Husbands console wives, wives comfort husbands.

Read more: Met's biggest 'ring of steel' ever as 10,000 officers to guard Queen's funeral and 34 people already arrested

Chorus greets coffin of Queen Elizabeth II as it is brought into Westminster Hall

Who are these people? Who, really, are they not? Generalities are impossible. They are young and old, British, tourists, people of every colour and creed. The have come from near and far. Some have dressed up for the occasion, most have not. Some walk slowly with the help of sticks, others, barely old enough to walk at all, grip the hands of their parents. Lords, dignitaries, government ministers past and present join those paying their respects; many have brought their families and children to share this moment.

In the middle of this hall, on a spot now covered by the catafalque upon which the Queen’s coffin sits, two plaques are embedded in the ancient flagstone floor. One marks the spot where, 70 years ago, the body of her father, George VI, lay in state. The other is from 2002, when it was her mother’s turn to rest here. Now, it is hers.

Indeed, in this room, over the centuries, countless monarchs have dined, laughed, sat, spoken, hosted, lay in state. None have reigned as long as this one. None have drawn these crowds, or this emotion.

In the weeks and months to come, normality will return, life will resume, this great hall will once again be filled not with silent mourners but with striding ministers and ambling peers. The majestic splendour of the guards, the ornaments, the crown, will give way once again to drab blue and grey suits. The hush will be replaced by hubbub. A new plaque will no doubt be installed, and tourists will amble over the spot where people from across the globe flocked to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II one final time.

This age-old building will keep standing, more history will take place under its intricate beams. In time, more kings and queens will be carried through its great oak doors, their reigns also complete; future generations will queue to view their coffins. This may all be true but never will there be another moment quite like this. Why? Because, surely, there will never be another monarch quite like her.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Exclusive
Bridget Phillipson has called for more British apprenticeships

UK must become 'less dependent' on foreign workers by training more British apprentices, minister warns LBC

Labour has deported nearly 19,000 people since coming to power

Inside Labour's deportation flights, as 19,000 illegal migrants removed from UK since July election

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office at the White House, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Washington. (Photo/Alex Brandon)

'No exceptions, no exemptions': Trump brings in 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium as UK dragged into trade war

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office at the White House, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Washington. (Photo/Alex Brandon)

'All hell will break out': Trump says Gaza ceasefire 'should be axed' if Hamas doesn't free all hostages on Saturday

Kim Leadbeater after the bill passed its first reading in November

Assisted dying cases could go ahead without judge's approval

Kanye West

Kanye West slammed for Super Bowl advert directing viewers to site selling swastika t-shirts

Matar is accused of trying to murder Salman Rushdie

Man accused of trying to murder Salman Rushdie says 'Free Palestine' as he is led into court

Legendary strongman Geoff Capes left nearly £240,000 in his will

Legendary strongman and Olympian Geoff Capes leaves £240k in will following death aged 75

The scene in Coulter Road, Hammersmith, west London, following the death of a woman in a flat

Woman, 36, found dead after man seen trying to force his way into flat in west London

Quinn Parker

'Inhumane' NHS trust admits maternity failings as three babies die within months of each other

The Aesculapian snake can grow up to two metres in length

Europe's biggest snake 'thriving' in UK and living in people's attics, study finds

The Aurora Borealis, Or Northern Lights, Visible From Large Swath Of North America

Northern Lights to be visible across parts of UK tonight

Zhenhao Zou is accused of rape

Woman among 10 allegedly raped by Chinese PhD student in London left “angry and ashamed” after attack, court told

London, UK. 28th January, 2025. Attorney General Richard Hermer arrives in Downing Street to attend the weekly Cabinet meeting. Credit: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Alamy Live News

Labour spat as peer brands attorney general Lord Hermer 'arrogant, progressive fool' and calls for him to quit

Jaysley Beck, 19, was found dead at Larkhill Camp in Wiltshire

Soldier, 19, complained of 'unwelcome behaviour' from 'psychotic and possessive' boss before taking her own life

Watch the rousing Super Bowl ad directed by Michael Bay on behalf of the Secret Service

US Secret Service spends millions on recruitment film from Hollywood director Michael Bay