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ABC News
ABC News
National
Tim Leslie, Emily Clark, Julian Fell, Ben Spraggon, and Georgina Piper

The true power of the royals is in the faces of the crowd

This is the moment King Charles III and his family followed his mother's coffin into Westminster Hall.

The moment was carefully stage-managed, steeped in history, and draped in regalia.

But what gave it weight sat behind the barriers.

Strip away the crowds and try to imagine what it would be like.

Would the moment have the same meaning without them?

Like theatre, if there's no audience then the performance — and the performers — lose their power.

The British monarchy only survives in the 21st century "by being noticed, over and over again", psychologist Michael Billig observed.

And this week, the royals have certainly been noticed.

Crowds have turned out in the tens of thousands to farewell their Queen, and without them all the criticism of the monarchy would surely cut more deeply.

So, let's look more closely at this crowd. Beyond the repeated platitudes, they've spoken with their feet – this is a moment in history.

It's easy to think of them as one mass, but from their faces it's clear it means many different things.

From the stoic to those wearing their hearts on sleeves...

The public gaze is focused, capturing a rare glimpse of royalty.

The action doesn't end at street level.

The windows bustle...

The onlookers' ages and expressions as diverse as their perches.

Some are too young to remember this moment...

But you know that they'll be told the story of how they were there.

Over the past week, a lot has been written about the outpouring of support, the emotional tributes and just how long the British public has been willing to wait to see the Queen’s coffin, and to catch a glimpse of the new King.

It’s easy to question the relevance of the monarchy, but it’s hard to deny the fervour of these crowds.

That ability to compel people to turn up, and their determination to stay is where the monarchy’s power lies. 

“Public displays of attendance at ceremonial events, and things like the funeral, are quite important to the monarchy,” professor of history at the University of Warwick, Sarah Richardson says. 

“Because Britain is a constitutional monarchy, the monarchy owe their position to public consent.

“One way of enforcing that contract between the people and the Crown is public displays of support.”

Dr Richardson has studied royal events for more than 30 years, and says the scale and the intensity of the support on display since the death of Queen Elizabeth II is “unprecedented”.

There is a pull to the royals buried deep in the British psyche.

Logically, a hereditary monarch that passes power, wealth and the privilege of the Crown down the line might be outdated in a modern democratic country, but this is not about logic.

This phenomenon is about what it means to be British. The royals are part of “popular culture, public imagination and the British identity”, according to Dr Richardson.

Those are powerful forces and they help explain the undeniable passion of the crowds.

One thing these images can't show is just how small the official part of the experience really is. When this photo was taken, many in the crowd had been here on the Royal Mile for four hours – compelled to stand at a barrier and wait.

But it's in the waiting that the meaning threatens to emerge. For a short while strangers become friendly. Supplies are unpacked, and for those at the front, the early jostling is replaced by camaraderie.

Some are tracking the procession, others are content to wait. Rumours of arrival times make their way up and down the line. 

By the end they'll have devoted six hours for a moment, that opportunity to be a part of something.

From the Royal Mile to Westminster, the events of the week have played out on historic stages. And part of the promise for those in the crowd is getting to play a small role of their own.

Across 10 days of mourning and all the hours of standing in line and standing at the barrier, two themes emerge when people are asked why they’re willing to wait.

To pay their respects and to be there for the moment — to be able to tell that story.

“There is this sense I think … [of] wanting to say ‘I was there’, even though a glimpse might be fleeting and it's much easier to watch it on television,” Dr Richardson says.

“I think both for the public, but also for the monarchy itself, that is the sort of mutual gain that those parties get from it."

There is solid support for the monarchy in the United Kingdom and royal supporters are not a monolithic group or some small subset of the community.

Polling by YouGov regularly finds about 60 per cent of Britons support having a monarchy. But perhaps even more fittingly, three in every 10 Brits say they met or saw the Queen in person at some time.

In life, as in death, she was noticed, again and again.

Her son, King Charles III, appears to understand. Dr Richardson says it wasn’t necessary for him to visit Wales and Northern Ireland as part of the official period of mourning. But it was very important.

“He didn't have to do that. It wasn't part of the period of mourning that they had to go to all of these countries, but I think it demonstrates how important it is that he is visible and reaches out to the public,” she says.

“It’s a loss of public support, which is more damaging than anything that happens in politics.”

In London, King Charles has a literal measure of the support his mother has and the legacy she leaves. 

The hours-long queue that snakes across the city is testament to the support — and the power — she had.

After a day in the London sun, reaching the shade of Westminster Hall means reaching the front of the line for the Queen's lying in state.

For days, the public have stood still while the body of Queen Elizabeth II moved past them, but now the coffin lies in rest and in state and the Sovereign’s people will file beyond her.

The public are doing more than looking on; here they have a different role to play.

Under the oak ceiling that has already seen so much history, another moment is made. 

The line moves along at a steady clip, but then it stalls inside the hall and a bottleneck forms at the top of the stairs.

Once inside, those who have patiently waited in line pay their respects, but they also take in the grand setting of Westminster Hall and get the opportunity to see up close some of the details of the Queen’s farewell that had been meticulously planned for years.

As they moved past, people bowed, curtseyed, and crossed their hearts to the father, son and holy spirit, they held their hands on their hearts and wiped tears from their eyes.

There were servicemen and women who saluted their Queen. 

One person clasps their hands, as if to say thank you, or in silent prayer.

But perhaps the most moving moments to watch were when people had passed the coffin and were approaching the exit. 

There were so many people who turned around for a last look, who seemed to almost hold their breath and gather themselves for not just the moment, but the fact it was about to be over. 

It is a practical reality but also a simple symbol, that the Queen’s people really must now continue on without her.

After a last pause, they turn and leave the hall and the next batch of faces in the crowd step forward to play their part in one of the Queen’s last acts.

They walk out the front gates of the Palace of Westminster and return to being onlookers.

And the new King now must carry on, having seen for himself the faces of those who loved his mother, who gave her power — and who are now watching him.

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