On morning television, the moment was singularly somber — the departure of the hearse bearing the flag-draped coffin of Queen Elizabeth II. But at the very same hour, as fans in shorts and Ray-Bans streamed into London’s Oval stadium for a long-anticipated cricket match, you wouldn’t have guessed the country was preparing for the most royal of funerals.
“I don’t think the Queen would want us to sit at home mourning,” said Natalie McGinn, a 36-year-old business consultant, meeting a friend outside the arena’s Hobbs Gate. “Also, at the end of the day, (there’s) the economy. Things are happening. We’ve got to keep going ... So, yeah, I’ve got to go and grab our tickets now.”
