London ready’s for grand farewell of Queen Elizabeth

• The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II has arrived in London ahead of her funeral on September 19.
• The government has already begun implementing a well-planned strategy called London Bridge.
• “People just want to be here, they’re curious to see it because we know we won’t live through this again anytime soon,” says Joseph Afrane.

As London prepared for its grand farewell to Queen Elizabeth II on Tuesday, construction workers erected barriers and thousands of police officers were mobilised.

Before hundreds of thousands of people are anticipated to pay their respects while it sits in state, the late monarch’s coffin arrived in the British capital from Scotland, where she passed away last Thursday.

Near the location of parliament where the coffin would lie, security officer Rumesh told AFP, “I’ve never seen something like it.”

“You can feel it’s coming and that it’s going to be huge.”

In the four days before the queen’s funeral on September 19, lines are expected to snake for miles along the River Thames as 750,000 mourners patiently wait to pass past the monarch, according to British media reports.

Only a tiny handful of the most tenacious royal supporters had made camp across from the Houses of Parliament by Tuesday morning, and they were ringed by scores of journalists.

“From tomorrow morning onwards, the queue is going to be insane,” said Rumesh.

“It’s the calm before the storm.”

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Funeral of the century

The government has already begun implementing a well-planned strategy called London Bridge that had been set up for years in preparation for a glitzy time of national mourning and state burial in the event of the queen’s passing.

Although the approaching days will be “a massive challenge,” newly appointed London police chief Mark Rowley stressed that the force has been preparing for “many, many years.”

Numerous politicians, including US President Joe Biden, are expected to arrive in the capital ahead of what is being referred to as “the funeral of the century” on Monday, thus thousands of police personnel have been mobilised.

For visitors seeking to view the queen’s coffin as it lies in state, strict airport-style security has been put in place.

For individuals who want to use the dozens of portable toilets set up along the Thames and keep their place in line, a system of wrist bracelets is in place.

The hotels near the city centre are already fully booked despite significant price increases, so it won’t just be the streets that will be congested.

Pubs are preparing for busy times, while London’s transportation authorities have warned commuters of impending problems.

Working in a tavern close to Westminster, Mantas Butkus said, “We know for sure it’s going to be super busy.”

He claimed that additional workers had been planned for the upcoming days.

“It’s the first time we have to deal with something like that, so we can’t really know what to expect,” he said

Curious to see it

Joseph Afrane had already given up on the prospect of seeing the casket in Westminster due to a large number of people anticipated.

Instead, he has been hanging out in the area of Buckingham Palace since Sunday in hopes of catching a glimpse of the hearse transporting the body from the airport.

“It’s a safer bet,” he said.

“It’s going to be chaos at Westminster and, you know, even if it’s sad, the atmosphere is actually quite nice here.”

Some of the initial shock and mourning upon the queen’s passing have subsided in front of the royal house.

While some teary-eyed visitors continued to leave flowers, others strolled about laughing and snapping photographs in front of the memorials.

“Basically, I’m here precisely to be here. To be part of all of it. It’s living history and I really wanted to come and see,” said Alice Colley, 27.

“There is sadness, obviously, but also some kind of excitement. People just want to be here, they’re curious to see it because we know we won’t live through this again anytime soon.”

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