The United Kingdom is in the midst of a period of national mourning following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
The day of the Queen’s state funeral, Monday 19 September, has been declared a public holiday and schools and offices will be closed.
London mourners have lined up for more than four miles to see the Queen lie in state at Westminster Hall. Across the country, events including concerts, sports matches and strikes have been canceled and news coverage and programs about the Queen have dominated radio and television schedules.
Civil liberties groups have criticized the police response, following the arrests of anti-monarchy demonstrators.
Here, Guardian readers share their views on the period of national mourning and reveal how they have been personally affected.
“We cannot force the country to stop”
Shekinah Opara, ‘not interested’ in the continued cover-up of the Queen’s death and lying to the state.
Shekinah Opara, 23, who works in legal services, said it was “understandable” that the Queen’s death would receive “such a significant and traditional national response”.
“However, we cannot force the country to stop. The idea that the country is united in gratitude, admiration and grief is simply false. For me, the Queen’s death provided some hope that Britain’s illusions about its national identity, which is tied to antiquated institutions like empire and monarchy, can finally be fought and turn off”.
Opara says he has interacted less with the news and was sorry to see the soccer matches cancelled.
“I appreciated Afua Hirsch’s article on the Queen’s death, which is the first I’ve seen that reflects how I’ve always felt about the monarchy.
“I’m concerned about how dissenting voices will be treated, although the arrests we’re seeing really aren’t surprising.”
“Cancelling events does no honor to the Queen’s memory”
Andrew Grieve wants events canceled to stop. “If you want to honor the queen’s memory, well, then do something.” Don’t just cancel things.’
Andrew Grieve, a father of two in London, wants the cancellation of events to stop. “If you want to honor the Queen’s memory, well, then do something. Don’t just cancel things.”
He does not agree with the FA’s decision to cancel all football matches last weekend, including the children’s ones. “How is stopping children from running on a Saturday morning respecting the Queen’s memory? It’s not. It makes no sense.”
He worries that small businesses will be affected by event cancellations. “Companies have had enough time during the pandemic,” he said.
“I am furious that MPs are not going back to work”
Frances, 69, was surprised by some of the feelings the Queen’s death evoked for her. “I’m anti-monarchist but I felt a sense of loss.”
Still, he believes a 10-day national mourning period is too long. “I don’t think TV channels should be constantly talking about the Queen.”
She is “absolutely furious” that politicians are not going back to work until after the funeral, especially as parliament adjourns two days later for the party’s conference season. “They will be in recess for all but one day, at a time when the country is in desperate crisis. I think it is unspeakable. And I think the Conservative party is milking the national period of mourning for all they can get out of it.” .
“The arrest of protesters is disturbing”
Rosie Weir, from Belfast, believes that mourning traditions should be respected, but that the arrests of republican protesters are not justified.
Rosie Weir, 28, from Belfast, is a lifelong republican who works for a royal charity. “I was really surprised at how upset I was last Thursday. I think my sadness was due to my personal experience of seeing the good that the Royal Family has inspired every day.”
He believes those who want to mourn should be allowed to and finds the mood of national mourning “completely understandable”.
“However, news of people being arrested for holding signs protesting against the monarchy is extremely disturbing. We have a history and a culture of peaceful protest in this country and that is something a democratic nation should be proud of.”
“We need some fairy tale sparkle and a pageant”
Diana Luther Powell believes the period of mourning is a welcome opportunity for the nation to have some respite from the “bleak” atmosphere prevailing in the country.
Diana Luther Powell, a 75-year-old Quaker prison chaplain from Barnsley, believes a 10-day mourning period is necessary.
“The period of national mourning is to be expected, though it must seem a mystery to those who come from places without a monarchy: a throwback to earlier times of respect when men touched their caps and children behaved” .
That’s illusory, he said, adding that perhaps “a bit of glitter and a fairytale pageant” was needed right now. “After that life will feel very bleak. It seemed like it would always go there, like the queens in the storybooks. Even though we knew it wouldn’t be.”
‘it’s over’
Iain is upset by collective public claims that the entire nation is mourning the loss of the Queen.
Iain, a 38-year-old IT professional from London, is finding the national mourning period “really over the top”.
The most irritating thing, he said, is all the public statements claiming that everyone is grieving. “That is not true. I understand that many people are, and that the Queen was popular with many. But the fact that dissent or even indifference is not tolerated, let alone acknowledged, seems disrespectful to me.” .
In the news, he was surprised to hear the Queen described as going about her business “without fuss”, noting that she wore “a literal crown” and traveled in a golden carriage, with footmen and trumpets blowing.
“Generosity is hard to stomach at a time when the country is reeling”
Maithreyi, whose father would have “loved” the grandeur of the queen’s mourning period, says she has mixed feelings.
Maithreyi, a writer and performer from Bristol, was “very saddened” by the Queen’s passing.
“It lasted about a day and a bit. Now, I’m quite tired of this fetishism of medieval scenery and this over-the-top approach.”
The last few days, he says, have “made it clear that I’m not a royalist”, although he believes his late father, “a devout royalist”, would have loved “that big funeral”.
“I held the Queen in high esteem: her devotion to duty at her age was admirable. Monarchy, to me, means very little, and I am quite surprised to see how people are anxious to see it continue throughout the its pomp and anachronistic practices.
“I would love to see a downsizing of the royal family and a redistribution of their land and wealth – it’s hard to hear the king lavishing his own son when the whole country is under such financial strain.”
“Protesters and Republicans show a lack of decency”
Colin Wood, a retired teacher from New Zealand, believes it is “absolutely right and appropriate to show respect for a wonderful monarch who served our country and the Commonwealth for so long and so well”.
He believes the Queen’s death has revealed the “mean side” of many people.
“I am appalled by the lack of humanity and common decency shown by protesters and republicans raising their issues, before even burying the Queen.”
“My kids will miss another day of school”
David Watkins is ‘bored’ by the coverage of the Queen’s death.
David Watkins, 54, from Porthcawl, is “bored out of his wits” by the coverage and upset that his children, who he says have missed enough school due to the pandemic, are missing another day in because of the holiday . His partner will also lose a day’s pay, he said.
“The views of people who do not support the monarchy are being completely ignored. In fact, many people in positions of authority probably intend to support the whole farce for fear of damage to their standing in society if ‘dare to oppose.
“My children are not at all interested in the Queen and if anything they are annoyed that the associated public holiday does not coincide with a double maths day.”