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I’m back in the U.K. now and not surprisingly it’s everywhere. Flew back with BA and it was mentioned in the pilot messages, then I flew through 2 U.K. airports and both had memorial messages on all of the e-screens normally used for advertising. I didn’t expect that. 

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The weirdest one… I was in Morgantown, WV yesterday. Like, this is a comparatively small city in a relatively insignificant US state. Driving across a bridge, they have an electronic billboard advertising all of the local businesses. It rotates between a few about every 20 seconds or so…Shop, restaurant, law firm, full page slide memorializing HRH Queen Elizabeth. Huh? It was just so absolutely random. 

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Andrew was heckled at a couple of points, while following the Queen’s coffin up the Royal Mile. 
 

The cortège passed near my house yesterday and will do same tomorrow. I’m debating whether to go and watch it pass, for the moment of history more than anything else. 

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3 hours ago, Wordsworth said:

Andrew was heckled at a couple of points, while following the Queen’s coffin up the Royal Mile. 
 

The cortège passed near my house yesterday and will do same tomorrow. I’m debating whether to go and watch it pass, for the moment of history more than anything else. 

I definitely would. As you said, just for the history of it. My teenage daughter and i were discussing that even as young as she is, she is unlikely to ever see another queen in England, and even for Kings, you may only see a funeral once more in your lifetime. More likely there won’t be another 70 year reign for ages. If it were that easily accessible, I’d go just to say I was there. 

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My best friend is bummed at the timing. She lives in Scotland (Aberdeen, just sold house and moved to near Glasgow) but she's in England this weekend/part of the week helping watch her nephews - she's missing the Scotland and England opportunities to pay her respects in person, which she wanted to do for history. (she's American)

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I wasn’t able to go in the end. The beeb had said the cortège wouldn’t start until 5pm but it was actually earlier, and I was just finishing a work call when it went past. Could hear the helicopter overhead and managed to see the end of the nearby road on the tv LOL. 

It’s been confirmed by my job that we’re getting the day off on Monday to allow us to watch the funeral, but my husband’s work isn’t closing. 
 

 

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I watched the procession of the coffin (I keep wanting to say casket so I need to look up the specific differences...) from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall this morning. I love the intricate staging and logistics - how one officer collects the bearskin hats of the pallbearers so they don't get in the way as they move the coffin,  just silly little details that the military has mastered like no one else. Seeing which family members were there. Contrasting Anne's sensible shoes (she was walking, good for her! First princess ever, loving it!!!) and then the stilettos of Kate & Meghan & Sophie (Camilla also has more sensible low-heeled shoes on - I would definitely be THAT royal 😉 ) The camera was focussed on Charles & Camilla as they walked away after the ceremony, but you could see curtseys in the background - I do believe that "upstart American" Meghan had a deeper & more graceful curtsey than the POW 😉

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On curtsying, I was idly thinking the other day that weren’t there stories at one point that Kate  had to curtesy to Beatrice and Eugenie because they were princesses in their own right and she wasn’t? I was wondering if that might have changed now because she is Princess of Wales, then I wasn’t interested enough to go and check.

I love that Anne has basically done everything her brothers have. That recent change in law to give women the right of succession over younger brothers should have been applied to her IMO, but maybe she didn’t want it for what it would mean for her kids. 
 

edit - not sure if this link works overseas but the bbc is live streaming the lying in state for those who can’t travel. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-62902778

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The curtsy thing is ridiculous. But yes, Kate is lower in rank and originally would have had to curtsy to Bea & Eug but the Queen changed it, I think, but perhaps it was only when she was with William - on her own she'd still be lower? I've read I don't know how many stories about that and I'm still not sure what the original protocol was vs current protocol, and then whether there's an issue of "protocol" but everyone just does something else....

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I also loved the story (I think it was in Omid Scobie's book) that it was Fergie who pulled Meghan aside before her intro to the Queen to make sure someone had taught her how to curtsy and when.....

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I know - I sort of want to see if I can find it in Country Life (I don't think the new story has any interior shots - wonder if any older copies do?) online. Royalty aside, I ADORE waterfront houses, mills are special, and this looks like an amazing conversion.

Some people have a LOT of opinions about adults who are married/together but maintain separate residences or rooms or whatever. To me, meh. Where you sleep or live doesn't tell me if you have a good or bad relationship (and honestly, NO ONE knows what goes on in a relationship except the people IN IT, appearances can be deceiving). They have a lot of houses, they travel a lot, they were old(er) divorcees when they married - and she was a scandal - good for her for keeping something for herself, and good for him for recognizing it's not a referendum about the state of their relationship.

 

 

 

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Yeah, agree Charlene didn't look good. (the dress/coat was awful but I mean her face - but also my god Albert looked SO OLD, I didn't believe it was him!)

I haven't watched all the funeral yet - was out at dentist yesterday, recorded bbc and nbc, only got up to the entrances to the Abbey on BBC (they started coverage almost 3 hrs before the funeral so there was a lot to watch!) I have a busy week so I'll watch in bits and pieces, probably. It's not like a sporting event where the ending is supposed to be a surprise.....

 

 

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6 hours ago, Hoyaheel said:

 

It's not like a sporting event where the ending is supposed to be a surprise.....

No one tell Hoyaheel about the bit where the Queen suddenly sits up and announces it was all a massive prank to see how long her subjects would queue for. 

Edited by Wordsworth
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2 hours ago, Wordsworth said:

No one tell Hoyaheel about the bit where the Queen suddenly sits up and announces it was all a massive prank to see how long her subjects would queue for. 

Or the spider's cameo :D

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Saw this story posted.  No idea if it's true, but I hope it is.  Very funny and cute :)

 

funny and true story about the Queen:
Around 2005, the Queen and her Personal Protection Officer, Dick Griffin, were walking alone one afternoon in the hills near the Scottish royal castle, Balmoral.
Two tourists approached them, and engaged in conversation. Griffin recalls:
"There were two hikers coming towards us, and the Queen would always stop and say hello.
"They were two Americans on a walking holiday.
"It was clear from the moment we stopped that they hadn't recognized the Queen, which was fine.
"The American gentleman was telling the Queen where they came from, where they were going next, and where they'd been in Britain.
"I could see it coming, and sure enough, he said to Her Majesty: 'And where do you live?'
"She replied: 'Well I live in London, but I've got a holiday home just the other side of the hills.'
"He said: 'How long have you been coming up here?'
"She replied: 'I've been coming up here ever since I was a little girl, so over 80 years.'
"You could see the cogs whirring, so he said: 'Well, if you've been coming up here for over 80 years, you must have met the Queen.'
"Quick as a flash, she said: 'I haven't, but Dick here meets her regularly.'
The hiker then asked Griffin what the monarch was like in person.
"Because I was with her a long time, and I knew I could pull her leg, I said: 'Oh, she can be very cantankerous at times, but she's got a lovely sense of humour.'
The next thing I knew, this guy comes round, puts his arm around my shoulder, and before I could see what was happening, he gets his camera, GIVES IT TO THE QUEEN, and says: 'Can you take a picture of the two of us?'
"Then we swapped places, and I TOOK A PICTURE OF THEM WITH THE QUEEN.
"And we never let on, and we waved goodbye.
"Afterwards, Her Majesty said to me: 'I'd love to be a fly on the wall when he shows those photographs to his friends in America, and hopefully someone tells him who I am'."
Rest in Peace Your Majesty ❤️👑🇬🇧

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I’ve seen that gentleman tell that story on camera several times over several years so I tend to think it’s true. It is a great story but I’m a little sad that after all this time no one has come forward as the other half with the photos.

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That's the clip (the protection officer in Scotland, meeting the tourists with Her Maj) that at least 4 people sent me after the Queen died. You think my friends know me or what? 😁

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