[h1]Let the people see their Queen[/h1]
The passing of Her Majesty last week marked a time of collective sorrow for the nation, a time where we have put aside our petty differences, and shelved our ongoing worries over inflation to simply remember her incredible reign. The Queen embodied our better British traits of modesty, subtly, and duty. And now is the time to show our appreciation in our own personal ways the length and breadth of our land. It is then disappointing to hear that the powers at be have denied her people a major avenue of saying our goodbyes.
The decision to fly the late Queen from Scotland to London rather than using the Royal Train has snatched away an opportunity for the people who are unable to travel any great distance to pay their respects along the route. I could imagine throngs of mourners lining along the tracks in fields, on station platforms, and on bridges as the train with Her Majesty on board is carried by them. The numbers could have easily dwarfed those who are expected in London this week when she will lay in state. But no such a momentous occasion will take place. Instead, she will be carried high aloft on an RAF transport, high above the clouds – and out of sight.
The reasoning for this is equally saddening. Supposedly on the grounds of safety and the potential for protestors, the use of the train has been derailed. Do those in White Hall not trust the British people in their hour of grief? What disdain do they hold for us common folk? Do they not realise that we wish to see our Queen – that is Our Queen, Not There’s. Would these same concerns not prevent her State Funeral? We have already heard that the unscheduled bank holiday will potentially push the UK into a recession earlier than expected. If this looming recession is inevitable, then we would rather have our day for our Queen, less the bureaucrats in the Treasury crack their whip and have us continue our service to their coffers. The ever-menacing fun police of White Hall has succeeded in ridding us of expressing our sorrow – more importantly in her Northern English realms – by ensuring she is moved swiftly and isolated.
Her Majesty is our Queen, and would likely always be our Queen, and once again the North is forgotten and ignored. We Want To See Our Queen.
Although the Laying in State in Westminster is meant to be to time for the people to come, for many, queuing for extreme hours, let alone the journey to the capital, is not feasible. Her Majesty reigned over all her subjects with love and dedication, young and old, fit and frail - all must be afforded the opportunity to pay their respects should they choose.
The Royal Funeral Train would have been a truly beautiful and historic time for people to come. But such a chance has been denied to us, and I suspect Her Majesty would be equally disappointed.
Rest in Peace HM Queen Elizabeth II, and God Save the King.