Elizabeth II’s funeral must stop London, stop transport and generate kilometer queues

The coffin with the body of Queen Elizabeth II arrives in London this Tuesday (13), starting one of the biggest security operations in the history of the English capital. Millions of people are expected in the city until the 19th, when, at last, the sovereign will be buried in Windsor Castle.

The Metropolitan Police has secured what it calls a “very well-rehearsed plan for the capital”, the preparation of which began years ago. The forecast is to have around 10,000 police officers on the streets every day, a number similar to the 2012 Olympics – the annual event with the most police in the capital is the Notting Hill Carnival, with 6,000 agents a day.

Security forces will be responsible for preventing crimes, managing crowds and organizing street closures, with support from the Army.

The transfer of police officers even led Uefa to postpone the match Arsenal x PSV, for the Europa League this Thursday (15), in London. Hours later, the Premier League announced the postponement of three games from next weekend, including the classic Chelsea v Liverpool.

Getting around the city today is already a challenge: subway stations are more than full and there are so many people around Buckingham Palace that getting close to the bars of the royal residence can take more than three hours.

Transport for London, the body responsible for the municipal transport system, advised the public to plan trips in advance and to avoid the metro station closest to the palace, warning that there will be street closures, a reduction in the number of buses and taxi ranks. . Metro and train stations may also close without notice.

The Rail Delivery Group of train operators said the day of the funeral would make the London-Windsor journey, which takes 50 minutes, virtually impossible due to the excessive number of passengers. Anyone who wants to attend the Queen’s Farewell must choose one of the two locations and arrive hours in advance.

Passengers from major airports, such as Heathrow, must also have difficulties related to the security scheme set up for the arrival of the heads of state. There is still no official list, but Jair Bolsonaro (Brazil), Joe Biden (USA) and Jacinda Ardern (New Zealand) announced their presence; even the king emeritus of Spain, Juan Carlos, must pierce exile to attend the funeral.

One of Charles III’s first acts as the new king was to declare the 19th a national holiday. Schools, shops and businesses will close, which should ease traffic a bit. In addition, the royal family created a virtual book of condolences.

Even so, thousands of people are traveling to London, and hotels have seen both demand and price rise. Some, in the center, tripled the daily rate. Staying overnight on the outskirts of Buckingham Palace between September 19th and 20th won’t cost less than £400.

On Wednesday (14), the coffin with the body of Elizabeth II will be taken by carriage through the streets of London, from Buckingham to Westminster. Until the 19th, the public will be able to visit Westminster Hall to say goodbye to the Queen; on Monday, the state funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey, where the queen was crowned in 1953, and burial will take place at Windsor Castle.

State funerals are honors reserved for kings, queens and public figures of utmost importance. The last one in the UK was that of Winston Churchill in 1965. He is paid for with public money. The figures for Elizabeth’s ceremony have not yet been released, but the Queen Mother’s funeral in 2002 would have cost more than 5.5 million pounds (R$ 32.7 million, at the current price).

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected in Westminster — spending hours in line will be the least price to pay. A 56-year-old London resident has already arrived at the scene, 48 hours in advance, to be the first to see the coffin. She told ITV that she asked her daughters to bring clothes and food. A small taste of what to expect in the next few days.