‘She was our boss’: patience and camaraderie in queue to see Queen’s coffin

People queue on the South Bank to see the Queen lying in state in Westminster Hall on 15 September 2022. Photograph: Antonio Olmos/The Observer

When Queen Elizabeth II visited Malaysia in the early 1970s, Kaye Foong, then eight, was in the crowd waving. Nearly 15 years later, he was a lieutenant taking part in the sovereign’s parade.

“Hopefully today, I’ll go and give her my last salute,” said Foong, 60, patting his eyes dry with a crimson handkerchief.