"I felt it was something I should do"

Friday 16 September 2022

A Guernseyman who went to the Queen's lying-in-state has told Express that he bowed his head and paid a personal tribute to "notre duc" after queuing overnight for access to Westminster Hall.

Paul Watts was given permission by his employer to fly to London, to work from their city office today.

That meant he was able to fly over on Thursday evening, enabling him to join the queue in Bermondsey.

Above: Mr Watts shared his experiences on Twitter.

"My wife and I were chatting and I just felt it was a part of history and I wanted to come and do it. My late mother in Law was a staunch royalist, to the point that we've got a picture of her kissing Prince Charles when she met him in the 1970s. My father in law would have loved to come but it would have been difficult for him.

"We looked at it, and I thought I'd love to do it and I could represent them and the rest of the family.

"We saw the queue on the news on Wednesday night, and when I woke up Thursday morning and found out the people at the back of the queue on Wednesday night had gone through, I decided to do it."

Mr Watts spoke to his manager at Savills who said he was happy for him to fly to London after work, and then work out of the London office on Friday, so he booked his flight, arriving into Gatwick after 18:00 on Thursday. He then caught a train into Central London and looked up where the queue was on the tracker that has been set up and he caught the tube to Bermondsey.

"It was actually a really jolly mood, lots of camaraderie all the way through last night. I was meeting people from different place and across Britain. We walked through  Southwark Park and to Tower Bridge where wrists bands are given out, and then on past the Globe. I was sightseeing London by night."

Mr Watts had joined the queue at 21:35 and said he entered the Hall at 08:05 this morning. For most of the time he was queuing it was moving steadily but slowly forward, except for one hour where they didn't move at all.

Above: Mr Watts wanted to be there as it felt like the right thing to do.

"There were parts where the queue moved slowly and continuously and then some parts around the London eye, around 03:00, it just stopped. We found out there was a rehearsal for around an hour (for the State Funeral) so no one was going in to the hall during that time. It was nice to have a bit of a break but it was frustrating as no one knew what was going on. We found out later on but no one told us.

"There was a woman from Cardiff with her two children, and the daughter fell fast asleep. We were all together, all different people. It was a really nice experience."

On entering Westminster Hall, where the Queen is lying-in-state until Monday morning when her State Funeral takes place, Mr Watts said the atmosphere became much more solemn.

"When I entered the hall, the whole experience for me changed. It was a lot more serious.

"It was so quiet all you could hear was footsteps on carpet. It wasn't eerie or anything like that, but it was a very surreal quietness."

When he filed past Her Majesty's coffin, Mr Watts paid tribute on behalf of his family members who he was representing.

"I bowed my head, and just recited the Norman French 'dieu sauve la Reine' and 'Notre duc' because that is what she was.

"Then as you leave and walk out of the hall, and up to the gate, life seemed to restart. The roads are closed but there's still all the noise of the traffic and police cars, pushbikes, more just general noise than you'd been used to. 

"The noise of life just came back."

Above: After working all day Thursday, flying to Gatwick after work, queuing through the night to see the Queen lying-in-state, it was then straight to work for Mr Watts before he flew home on Friday evening.

After his overnight journey to pay tribute to the Queen, Mr Watts had to get to work before flying home to Guernsey on Friday evening.

He said the security measures at Westminster Hall were tighter than at airports and his travel sized toiletries had to be thrown away when he was given his wristband for entering.

Having now paid his respects to Queen Elizabeth II, Express asked if he would do it again.

"I can't really explain it, but I felt I wanted to come. With my father in law, and my mother in law in mind, it added to that. I felt it was something I should do.

"It was for her (the Queen). I wouldn't class myself as a royalist, but I am not anti-royal. I think they provide a lot of good, and something in general to look up too, especially her. She's been a constant throughout my life. The only monarch I've known.

"I've never thought about her not being here which is a bit silly with the age she was but it was just something that didn't register. So would, I do it again? If I was fit enough then yes definitely, but I'll be older too (when King Charles is lying-in-state).

"There were lots of conversations throughout the night with people who had been to the Queen Mother's lying-in-state and wanted to come and do it for the Queen. 

"If Charles makes a good king and provides that quality of leadership and reform (as his mother), then yes I probably would."

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