FILE PHOTO: A woman stands in a queue to pay her respects to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, following her death, in London, Britain, September 15, 2022. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
The death of Queen Elizabeth has drawn people from across Britain and the world to queue through the streets of London to pay their respects - a melting pot of nationalities, religions, ages and backgrounds.
Among the tens of thousands waiting more than 14 hours to file past the late monarch's coffin on Friday were veterans who had sworn to give their lives in service to their queen and others who had grown up as children of former British colonies.
FILE PHOTO: A man stands in a queue to pay his respects to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, following her death, in London, Britain September 15, 2022. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
They had come together to mark a moment in history - the passing of Britain's longest reigning monarch.
Older mourners spoke of their pride in a monarch who was still carrying out government duties two days before she died while younger people spoke of their need to bear witness to such a huge national event.
FILE PHOTO: A girl stands in a queue to pay her respects to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, following her death, in London, Britain, September 15, 2022. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
"She was my boss for 24 years," said Martin Jervis, 54, from Suffolk in eastern England, wearing his naval beret and medals and explaining how, as a member of the armed forces, everything he had done was for the queen.
"That pride and that respect and that responsibility never goes away," he said.
Jervis queued with his cousin Ricky Woods, 51. Starting at midnight they were a couple of hours away from entering the vast medieval Westminster Hall when he spoke to Reuters at around 9 a.m..
FILE PHOTO: A man stands in a queue to pay his respect to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, following her death, in London, Britain, September 15, 2022. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
While the early hours had been marked by laughter, chat and a sharing of stories amongst strangers, Jervis said the atmosphere had become "a little bit more serious, a little bit more sombre" as they edged along the River Thames towards parliament.
OUTPOURING OF AFFECTION
Cordelia Stronge, 56, from Sierra Leone, spoke of her pride in her adopted city London as she queued with two family members who had been visiting the capital from the West African nation.
FILE PHOTO: A man, and a woman holding a dog, stand in a queue to pay their respects to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, following her death, in London, Britain, September 15, 2022. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
"We've known her since we were children," she told Reuters, wearing a colourful blue and yellow headscarf and multiple layers. "Sierra Leone, where I come from, was a colony under the British Empire so she means a lot to us."
The death of Queen Elizabeth has sparked an outpouring of emotion across Britain, with elderly men and women, some in old military uniforms, moving slowly and quietly among the sea of floral tributes left in royal parks and outside royal palaces.
At the same time many younger observers have arrived, smartphone in hand, to celebrate a life and an occasion.
FILE PHOTO: A woman stands in a queue to pay her respect to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, following her death, in London, Britain, September 15, 2022. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
"I'm never going to be part of something like this again," said 25-year-old medical student Jane Ganeshalingam who queued with her mother and explained that her earliest memory in life came from a celebration of the queen when her school gave out bookmarks.
"Part of being British I guess is just having a queen or having Queen Elizabeth II on the throne."
For Reverend Paul Roberts, 42, a vicar in the Church of England from Herefordshire, western England, he said he was there to represent his parish and give "something very small back" after she did so much.
FILE PHOTO: A man stands in a queue to pay his respects to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, following her death, in London, Britain, September 15, 2022. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
"It makes me feel very proud, really, the eyes of the world are on us and so many people that we've been speaking to in the queues, they're from all over the world," he said, wrapped in a winter coat.
"The queen really is a truly global leader."
(Editing by Kate Holton and Alison Williams)
FILE PHOTO: A man stands in a queue to pay his respects to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, following her death, in London, Britain, September 15, 2022. REUTERS/Carlos BarriaBo-Yu Chen, 36, from Taiwan, stands in a queue to pay his respects to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, following her death, in London, Britain September 16, 2022. Chen is a data scientist who has lived in London for two years. "I think it's a special moment in history so I want to be part of it," he said. "I'm not a British citizen, but I now live here, I work here, so I think the monarch is very symbolic to this country." REUTERS/Carlos Barria FILE PHOTO: A woman stands in a queue to pay her respects to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, following her death, in London, Britain, September 15, 2022. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo Jane Ganeshalingam, 25, from Slough, stands in a queue to pay her respects to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, following her death, in London, Britain September 16, 2022. Ganeshalingam is a medical student doing a MBPhD student at UCL (University College London). "Ever since I could remember she's just always been there and now she's not and it just feels really strange," she said. "Part of being British I guess is just having a queen." REUTERS/Carlos Barria Cordelia Stronge, 56, from Sierra Leone, stands in a queue to pay her respects to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, following her death, in London, Britain September 16, 2022. "The Queen meant a lot to me because from back home, we've known her since we were children," Stronge said. "Sierra Leone, where I come from, was a colony under the British Empire. So she means a lot to us." REUTERS/Carlos Barria FILE PHOTO: A man stands in a queue to pay his respects to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, following her death, in London, Britain September 15, 2022. REUTERS/Carlos BarriaCousins Martin Jervis (L), 54, and Ricky Woods, 51, from the Suffolk towns of Halesworth and Lowestoft respectively, stand in a queue to pay their respects to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, following her death, in London, Britain September 16, 2022. Jervis and Woods are military and navy veterans. "As a member of the ex-services and obviously growing up all through my childhood and having the Queen, we give a declaration to sacrifice potentially our life to her - that's quite a solemn vow," said Woods. REUTERS/Carlos Barria Reverend Paul Roberts, 42, from Herefordshire, stands in a queue to pay his respects to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, following her death, in London, Britain September 16, 2022. Roberts, who started queuing up just before midnight, was there to represent the people of his parishes, "many of whom would like to come but aren't able to. So that's important too." REUTERS/Carlos Barria
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