As Britain bid farewell to Queen Elizabeth II, tens of thousands of emotional royal fans gathered in Hyde Park to watch her funeral.
They sat on foldable chairs and blankets while holding Union Jack flags and each other in the sprawling London park this morning.
As the funeral played, the crowds recited prayers along with the congregation before breaking out into applause when the service ended.
Some filmed the funeral or took selfies on their phones to remember the historic moment, others silently sang ‘God Save the Queen’ to themselves.
Mourners told Metro.co.uk the mood in the royal park was ‘fun’ at first — but when the service began at 11am in Westminster Abbey, the field fell silent.
Watching the proceedings from Hyde Park was, for them, the culmination of 10 days of national mourning since the Queen died on September 8.
Hours before, Ciska, 61, born in Belgium and since moved to Bristol, stood outside a café by Trafalgar Square to catch her breath on her way to Hyde Park.
Around her, countless people were hurrying along a choreographed route marshalled by security teams that saw major roads closed off.
‘My first job was working for the British Army. So in essence, the Queen was my first boss,’ Ciska said.
‘I’ll keep [the Queen’s memory] alive. The Queen’s been in my life all my life, really – I haven’t got another 70 years to go.
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‘She’ll always be in my life, which I think the same for my grandchildren. No one’s ever going to forget this queen.’
Christine Gladman, 69, lives in Australia but came back to London just for the funeral.
‘I wanted to feel part of such a historic occasion,’ she said.
‘She has been the queen all my life. I think she’s a good symbol for women who work hard.
‘She’s worked with men when women weren’t working with men. She’s a very good role model for women.’
Anne Aitken, 61, and her husband did what they have done before – travel from Manchester to say goodbye to a member of the royal family.
‘Came to Diana’s funeral. Came everywhere. I just thought we’ve got to come here as well even if I don’t see anything,’ she said.
Elizabeth’s long years as sovereign survived decades of immense change, and Anne saw her as someone whose quiet nature changed little, if at all, during this.
‘She was steadfast, unlike other people we have leading the country,’ Anne said, ‘everything is so chaotic – but she never was.’
An ice cream vendor parked inside Hyde Park in the main viewing area was among several food trucks handing out food and drinks to spectators.
‘A death, even if they’re not closer to you, you always feel it. And it being the Queen, it’s definitely something that feels odd,’ the vendor said.
‘She tried her best to unify, and you know what, it’s all love.’
Barbara, 60, left Hyde Park laughing and holding onto Dawn, 69, and Zoe, Dawn’s 37-year-old daughter, after the funeral.
They easily could have been mistaken for life-long friends. But before today, Barbara had never met Dawn or Zoe – the Queen brought them together.
‘It was worth getting up at half past three this morning,’ said Zoe, from Manchester, moments after the boom of artillery guns rolled across Hyde Park as the cortege made its way towards Wellington Arch.
‘Over the years, I saw her become a sort of happier Queen almost because she knows she was loved.’
The three were among several spectators asking security staff for directions towards South Carriage Drive to see the hearse as it went through London for its 25-mile journey to Windsor Castle, where the Queen would be laid to rest.
Between them, Elizabeth II’s 7-decade-long reign stretched their entire lifetimes.
‘I was born a month before her coronation,’ Dawn said of the ceremony that took place on June 1953.
‘What she’s done for everyone… she’s a really lovely lady.’
For Zoe, she felt ‘drawn’ to London when she woke up today.
Though she’d been up for hours – coming from Milton Keynes in the early morning – and wasn’t at all close to the screens to see the funeral, she couldn’t have cared less.
What was important to her and her mother were the memories they have of growing up with Queen Elizabeth II – and what memories her children will have with King Charles III.
‘As a younger person, my children [are] going into another era now,’ Zoe said, realising that her kids have never had a king before.
‘It’s that level of uncertainty, where you kind of felt safe with her. Felt safe that, though she never had much say, she was a worldly queen as opposed to a Great British queen. She will be missed.’
Ford Davidson, 43, who works at an American tech firm, said he watched in awe from the US as bereaved Brits imagined a world without Queen Elizabeth II.
‘Being from the US, it’s a little different, but watching all the coverage in the last 10 days, the mourning has been really amazing to observe,’ he said.
‘My wife and I were talking about it actually. How many people, if they died, would have this kind of turnout, this kind of memorial? We couldn’t think of many people.’
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