30 Of The Best Memes And Reactions To The Very British Queue Throughout London To See The Queen In State At Westminster
The British hate standing in queues as much as anyone else, but they are known for their skill at forming perfectly orderly queues, their delight at seeing one and their tutting and sighing when someone is trying to cut the line.
This week their skill is put into good practice as they are standing in the ultimate queue. It has already been dubbed The Queue or the Elizabeth Line. Brits are standing in it to get the chance to pay respects to their late monarch Queen Elizabeth II as she lies in state in the Palace of Westminster before her funeral.
At the time of writing this article, The Queue was about 5 miles long before it got paused. Before being paused, the tracker estimated that people would have to wait for 14 hours to be able to get inside the Palace where the coffin is. It’s quite crazy, but that doesn’t stop devoted and mourning Brits from joining The Queue. Or coming to just look at it and admire it.
People online were quick to mock the hilarity and absurdity of it, but also the beauty and the Britishness of it. Apparently, there is nothing more quintessential for a Brit than standing in a queue and the world is proud of them, but it needs to pull their leg as well.

Image credits: Julian Calder
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She’s with her family now which should be some comfort to those paying their respects
Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8th at the age of 96 and after ruling the country for 70 years, which made her the longest reigning monarch in the UK’s history.
The Queen’s coffin that is made of oak on the outside and lead on the inside was carried by 8 Royal Air Force members who put in the coffin covered with the royal flag in a catafalque. It was taken to the official royal residency in Scotland, which is the Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh.
On Monday, September 12, it was taken to the St. Giles’ Cathedral where people could wish the Queen a peaceful rest. It is estimated that 33,000 people went past her in the 24 hours that she was at the St. Giles' Cathedral.
I was about to say this is really such a British thing to do. Here where I live people would be coming in from all those side streets trying to cut into the line. Not to mention the huge crowd pushing at the front.
I watched the changing of the guard during the vigil yesterday and was shocked at how calm and orderly everything was. They stopped mourners filing past the Queen, moved the guards in, and then allowed the mourners to continue. Everyone was low key and just waited patiently. Westminster Abbey was fairly quiet- people all behaved respectfully. It was very surprising (in a good way)
Load More Replies...There are a wealth of counselors, medical professionals, drinking water people, and others all along the line. Not only that as one joins the queue, your are given a wristband and a place in the line, so that you can leave for personal calls of nature, food et cetera. It is all very respectful and supportive.
My mum went to an English boarding school when she was growing up. The girls there were taught little catchphrases to encourage good/polite behaviour and one was "Not 'how odd' but 'how interesting'". It meant when you meet someone with different traditions to yourself, who does things in a different way, why not react with interest and curiosity rather than telling them how weird it is and how nobody in your country would do things that way. Nobody's forcing you to join the queue, or even watch it on TV, it's not harming you in any way, why not think "how interesting" and move on?
Load More Replies...The Queen’s coffin continued its journey and on Tuesday, it was taken by a military C-17 Globemaster to London and carried into Buckingham Palace. On Wednesday, it was carried to its last stop before the funeral, which is the oldest building on the Parliamentary estate, Westminster Hall.
This is the place where the rest of the Brits can come and pay their respects to Elizabeth II. People started filing to enter Westminster Hall on Wednesday afternoon to get a chance to pass the Queen’s coffin. It is expected that 750,000 people will come to view the coffin until the lying in state’s end on Monday before the funeral, which is planned at 11:00 BST.
When they shut this down for the funeral, just like on Everest, they're gonna find the abandoned bodies of those who just couldn't go on.
That’s when they become the second type and start watching the queue!
Load More Replies...Not in the UK but I would see myself being part of the latter, 2.
To enter the Westminster Hall, people started lining up and started the most epic queue the world has ever seen as it is formed by the British, who are notorious for it, and also because they are standing in it to see their beloved Queen, who doesn’t even need to be named because everyone in the world thinks of her when you say the title.
The Queue goes along the river Thames and stretches all the way to London Bridge, The Tower Bridge and beyond. It is so long that the UK government Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) launched an official Queue Tracker available on YouTube which gives live updates about the growing line, where the endpoint is and what the estimated waiting time is.
Trust me, click on the little curiousiguana link at the bottom left and scroll up to read this full thread. One of THE best things I've ever read online!
“Right, everyone. I need to be serious for a moment. Because the greatest thing that ever happened is happening right now. I don't particularly care either way about the Queen. But the queue? The Queue is a triumph of Britishness. It's incredible. Just to be clear: I don't mean the purpose of the queue. I don't mean the outpouring of emotion or collective gried or the event at the end and around the queue or the people in the queue. I mean, literally, the queue. The queue itself. It's like something from Douglas Adams. It is the motherlode of queues. It is art. It is poetry. It is the queue to end all queues. It opened earlier today and is already 2.2 miles long. They will close it if it gets to FIVE MILES. That's a queue that would take TWO HOURS TO WALK at a brisk pace. It is a queue that goes right through the entirety of London. It has toilets and water points and websites just for The Queue…
Load More Replies...And then there'll be the queue to look at the queue to look at "The Queue"...
My sister was in a queue at a festival not knowing what it was for. It turned out someone was preforming ceremony’s to get married to one’s self legit? No properly not but if it was she now illegally married to another.
Tebay services has a cracking Farm Shop...that would stop any massacre surely?
Load More Replies...I really don't think Charles would draw such a crowd... That's like comparing going to church on Christmas Eve to going on a regular Sunday - one's for people who enjoy the pomp on certain occasions, one's for people who feel obligated to do it because they're expected to be there.
Not only that, but in true British fashion, the government issued a guide to The Queue. It includes things like how to get to London, how to get to and join The Queue, what will be its route. There are rules of what you can and cannot bring, they warn about being prepared for the weather and that people will be searched.
People who are queuing are being given wristbands to indicate their location in The Queue so they can go get food and use the bathroom. Various cafes and other businesses are extending their working hours to cater for the people in the line and local venues and museums are open all day and night so people can use their facilities. In addition to that, there are more than 500 portable toilets at various points along The Queue’s route.
My anxiety would never let me leave The Queue once I got on it. I know people have wristbands and such, but my brain would think, "what if there's a mistake? What if they just don't let me back? I'm not taking any chances" which basically sums up my whole life
I started getting stressed the first day when reporters were asking random people what their reactions to the Queen dying were. Would they be critical? Would there be grumps, waving off the reporters? Would there be the occasional verbal rejection of the reporter's question? I had to stop watching - my needless anxiety was through the roof.
I work in a care home and was watching the queue on the tv with the residents. I said exactly the same thing about people being pulled from the queue. It was with that comment I knew I truly was terribly British!
.. and in 9 months time, how many queue babies there will be...
Load More Replies...Imagine how easy it is to please someone if they are entertained by waiting in a queue for 8 hours..
What? It's a social event! You're staying with the same group of people or hours and hours and have at least one thing in common; going through the same hardship! I wouldn't join the queue myself, but I know I've had quite pleasant social interactions when trains were canceled and such. When a group of random humans is dealing with the same problem for a prolonged period of time, they generally instinctively form tribes. It's hardwired into the brain and an enjoyable experience even if you never see the people again.
Load More Replies...So, what this guy was saying is that this was essentially a massive play date?
I remember queueing for the Queen mother in 2002. Had the same experience, and we didn't have smart phones back then.
Paddington wouldn't be so bad as an Overlord, apart from the marmalade but I feel like I can live with that.
Marmalade sandwiches on toasted cheesy jalapeño bread with cream cheese and bacon is probably my fave meal ever
That's was lot to process but once I got my head wrapped around the ingredient list, I decided that, given the chance, I'd give it a go. My dad survived crazier concoctions and lived to see his mid-eighties.
Load More Replies...It is fascinating to see so many people united and so dedicated to standing in The Queue as they may need to remain in it overnight, during the colder hours of the day, to withstand the rain and the wind. It’s all because they felt grateful for the Queen’s service to their nation and now it’s their last chance to give her the last wave.
The people are coming to terms with the fact that they have a new king and are getting through their grief, which is evident from the memes and reactions online. They were joking about how long The Queue is, about how it's a pure reflection of what the UK is all about and that even if you aren't a supporter of the monarchy, it's worth coming there just to look at the beautiful view of people standing one behind another.
Which reactions did you like the most? Have you seen The Queue in real life? What do you think about it? Do you think the world is making a bigger deal of Queen Elizabeth’s death than it should? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Or.......now hear me out......you could just go out in public and meet people WITHOUT standing in line for several hours.
Wouldn't work the same. Seriously. A shared goal and problem/inconvenience is a hell of a social lubricant - and the queue guaranties not only that, but *also* that you and everyone around you is going to stay there for hours and hours and therefore has lots and lots of time to spare talking to each other.
Load More Replies...In fact, I've already heard the media call it 'the other Elizabeth line'.
Oh yeah they can drink in public! We can’t in Canada - when I visited England, my travelling partner and I ended every night with a walk to Tesco to buy a big fancy bottle of beer, and we’d split it on the walk home, really enjoyed that :) we only did it for the “novelty” of drinking in public hahaha
That would be kind of hard. I imagine they left her arms intact and with the rest of the body.
Load More Replies...I love this classic scene. The Full Monty was my introduction to British humor. I've been addicted ever since.
Meanwhile in Texas, I'll do anything I can to not be in a queue. Ever again.
OT: According to their facial expression, it looks like that model is contemplating a new career.
Really? I don’t remember this scene being in Morbius.
Load More Replies...I love how The Queue has capitals and is now a phenomenon.
The Queen becoming mommy Lenin style and The Queue becoming eternal
Ok....I feel stupid for having to ask.....but what's the joke about the British and them loving que's?? I don't understand.
And David Tennant the weird guy in front of her who might either be love-interest or serial killer. Or a spy. Could always be a spy. He SAYS he's just a doctor, but he could say anything and she has no way to check.
Load More Replies...Imagine getting there, seeing the end of the queue so far away and still deciding to join....I can't comprehend that.
This is getting better, the further I go down this list. We'll done!
The Queue is a beacon of human achievement. It shows we are capable of patience and order. It is the bringer of hope. All hail The Queue.
To reply to Jason, it is almost the opposite. I'm a Brit in my late 40's and for most of my life a huge amount of media and the education system has attempted to portray the British monarchy as outdated and something only older generations care about. This is one of the main reasons for the queue - plans for Elizabeth's death have been meticulously designed, but completely misunderstood that in the UK (same as many western countries) establishment and media have not brainwashed as many as they think. A huge quite majority think for themselves. So no one planned that so many would wish to pay respect.
Load More Replies...My gosh, this looks insane! I wish I could wait in the longest line ever to pay respects to the queen. :(
I was thinking about going but decided not to. This thread reminding me I probably would have had to.. duh duh duh...socialise(!) makes me so happy I decided not to. I'm just tuning in to the live stream every now and again. Last night I caught an exciting bit where a bunch of old dudes in fancy dress were shuffling up the aisle and then swapped places with some other old dudes and they shuffled back down the aisle. Honestly, riveting!
One question: do people hold your spot if/when you need sustenance and deal with the results of said sustenance?
They are being given wristbands so that they can leave the queue to go to toilet or for food, I am not sure how it works, am guessing they are numbered as they allow you back into the same spot you was in.
Load More Replies...The only upsetting things about this post is that BP reduced it from 40 to 30. Glad I screen grabbed a few of my favorites earlier!
On the bottom of the last post there's a line in small text with the link to the original 40 pictures.
Load More Replies...If I was still living in London I, too, would have joined the queue to end all queues.
The Queue is a beacon of human achievement. It shows we are capable of patience and order. It is the bringer of hope. All hail The Queue.
To reply to Jason, it is almost the opposite. I'm a Brit in my late 40's and for most of my life a huge amount of media and the education system has attempted to portray the British monarchy as outdated and something only older generations care about. This is one of the main reasons for the queue - plans for Elizabeth's death have been meticulously designed, but completely misunderstood that in the UK (same as many western countries) establishment and media have not brainwashed as many as they think. A huge quite majority think for themselves. So no one planned that so many would wish to pay respect.
Load More Replies...My gosh, this looks insane! I wish I could wait in the longest line ever to pay respects to the queen. :(
I was thinking about going but decided not to. This thread reminding me I probably would have had to.. duh duh duh...socialise(!) makes me so happy I decided not to. I'm just tuning in to the live stream every now and again. Last night I caught an exciting bit where a bunch of old dudes in fancy dress were shuffling up the aisle and then swapped places with some other old dudes and they shuffled back down the aisle. Honestly, riveting!
One question: do people hold your spot if/when you need sustenance and deal with the results of said sustenance?
They are being given wristbands so that they can leave the queue to go to toilet or for food, I am not sure how it works, am guessing they are numbered as they allow you back into the same spot you was in.
Load More Replies...The only upsetting things about this post is that BP reduced it from 40 to 30. Glad I screen grabbed a few of my favorites earlier!
On the bottom of the last post there's a line in small text with the link to the original 40 pictures.
Load More Replies...If I was still living in London I, too, would have joined the queue to end all queues.
