A huge number of people went to go see The Queen’s Lying-in-State, which resulted in ridiculously long queues. And some people clearly couldn’t handle being in line for that long…
Even though she was 96 years old, many were shocked when, just over a week ago, Queen Elizabeth II passed away. And as with any death, people have been grieving and mourning in different ways.
For example, some Australians decided to recreate The Queen’s favourite cocktail at home. Some looked back on her most iconic moments. And many – including David Beckham – decided to pay their respects by attending The Queen’s Lying-in-State.
In fact, so many gathered to do this it became a bit of a phenomenon, now known as The Queue. If you’re unfamiliar with The Queue, over the last six days – before The Queen’s laid to rest during her funeral – hundreds of thousands of people queued up (hence the name) just to get a glimpse of The Queen’s coffin while it was on display at the Palace of Westminster.
The minimum wait time in The Queue was roughly 3 to 4 hours but the maximum was over 24 hours. And while most stories concerning The Queue seem to be positive and somewhat heartwarming, clearly some people were driven mad by waiting in line for that long.
Case in point: according to TMZ, one man who was waiting in The Queue was arrested after allegedly dropping his trousers and exposing himself to two women who were also in The Queue. He then reportedly tried to escape from police officers by jumping into the River Thames.
Similarly, ABC News reported that another man from The Queue was arrested after he allegedly pushed past a seven-year-old girl, “ran up” and tried to touch The Queen’s coffin.
Plus, multiple people are selling their ‘Lying-in-State’ wristbands – you needed one to gain access to both The Queue and the Palace of Westminster – at obscene prices on eBay; one’s listed for £500 (roughly AU$850) which is insane!
Of course, as mentioned earlier, most people who joined The Queue had a rather enjoyable experience. Well, as enjoyable as paying respects to a dead person can be… So, clearly, there are a few people out there who – for the greater good – should just avoid long queues in general.
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