When it was suggested, many months ago, that my birthday weekend should be spent in London , little did I know what a special weekend it would be.
Unfortunately Her Majesty had passed away on 8th September, so we felt a little sombre and I must say I did feel a little guilty for my up and coming celebrations.
On Friday 9th, the 1721 Hull Train from Brough was on time and we had fantastic service from the staff all the way down to the Big Smoke.
The death of the Queen hit me as soon as we stepped onto the platform at Kings Cross. There were photos everywhere of Her Majesty in the tube station. Also, where we would normally see adverts for the latest London musical along the escalators, her face was now looking down at us.
Dedications were also on the walls of bus stops, in shop windows and on buildings that we passed on the way to the hotel. Flags were flying at half mast.
Our hotel for the weekend was Rubens at the Palace, a grand hotel that prides itself on its service and quintessential Britishness, from Afternoon Tea to the red-uniformed doormen. The hotel overlooks Buckingham Palace and our room couldn’t have been better placed in the Royal Wing, as we could see the Palace from our window. We usually stay around the Covent Garden area on our trips to London but decided to try The Rubens for a change. It was a great decision.
After checking in, we headed to Carnaby Street on the Victoria Line from Victoria Station to Oxford Circus. It was quiet on the tube, which was surprising for a Friday night. We had a great meal at Le Bab in Kingly Court, somewhere that we’ve visited before, then we headed back to Buckingham Palace.
We decided to walk back so that we could take in what was unfolding in the capital. I wanted to see the flowers that had been left by people along the gates of Buckingham Palace.
I expected it to be quieter than if it had been daytime but there were lots of people still there even though it had passed midnight. There were international journalists and media companies filming this historical moment in time, capturing the mood of the people. There were quiet conversations going on between people who were looking at the flowers and reading the wonderful tributes to the Queen. Others were laying flowers and lighting candles, taking moments of reflection with many a tear being shed. The smell of the flowers was intense. It was a time of great sadness and I felt very emotional.
Flowers were being taken away after they had been laid for 12 hours, to be displayed at Green Park. It was a big job but I think also a huge privilege for the men doing this. They were carefully being placed in a truck to be taken the short journey there.
I took many photos of that evening, wanting to preserve my memories of this deeply sad moment in British history. I felt extremely lucky to experience and witness this unfolding in front of me. You can see the photos of Friday night here:
On Saturday morning, we found out from the BBC website that Charles was going to a ceremony at St James’ Palace where he would be proclaimed King. This was commencing at 10am. My birthday had already paled into insignificance due to this momentous occasion and I wanted to experience this special day. The important thing was to capture this and take as many photos as possible.
We left the hotel at about 930am and found a viewing spot at the top of The Mall. We got lucky as there was space at the railings so had a good view. We had no idea what to expect but we guessed that, as the roads were closed and there were many police officers in attendance, that we might, just might, get a glimpse of our nation’s new King.
We had seen that all flowers had been removed from the pavement and railings at the front of the Palace and we learned that these had been moved to Green Park. It must have been a mammoth task with what we’d seen on Friday night. I felt so glad that we’d seen them all the night before.
I saw many birthday messages to me on social media, which I was very grateful for, but soon enough I felt I was in the dead zone as I wasn’t able to even access the internet. Maybe it was because of the number of people around Buckingham Palace and The Mall. It was difficult to work out what was going to happen as nothing had been said on the internet. We knew that the King had to be at The Royal Exchange for his second proclamation at 12 noon. Some people were getting messages from friends and relatives at home, who could see the live footage on the TV so we were gradually finding out what was going on.
I suppose that my social media blackout made it all the more exciting. The first inkling of anything happening was when we saw the Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery passed the Queen Victoria Memorial just before 10am. There were many troops on horseback, with some of the horses pulling the gun carriages in preparation for the 41 gun salute at the Tower of London and Hyde Park.
At about 1030am we saw The band of the Coldstream Guards march towards St James’ Palace. About fifteen minutes later the Horseguards passed us heading in the same direction.
Just before 11am, and following on from the 41 gun salute, we watched as police checked one of the lampposts in front of where we were stood. The door that allows access to the electrics had a broken seal, which could be a sign of something being placed in there, such as a bomb. They quickly checked this before giving the all-clear.
We stood waiting whilst the Royal Artillery passed us again following the 41 gun salute, quickly followed by the Coldstream Guards. Finally, the Horseguards passed us again. We then heard cheers but it wasn’t the King, just a maintenance truck passing by! The humour of the crowds was shining through.
It was heading towards midday and we knew that the King was due to be at the Royal Exchange at 12pm. Where was he? Was he going to come past? We waited to see what was might happen only for a bit of excitement to happen when a man jumped the barrier. He was quickly apprehended by some police officers. It was a bit of a foolish thing to do as he was placed in police custody so would have missed what was to follow.
There were then more cheers for the maintenance guys….
The man’s arrest must have delayed the proceedings by 10-15 minutes but we finally heard lots of cheering and saw our newly proclaimed King, Charles III, pass us at the top of the Mall. He waved at the crowds from his chauffeur driven Rolls Royce. The crowds were loving this amazing event and I felt very proud to be there. Below is a short video of King Charles III passing us after he’d left St James’ Palace:
This day will be etched in my memories forever, it will be something I never forget. What a birthday!!
As we hadn’t had breakfast, we headed back to the hotel and went to the New York Bar there. It’s a beautifully decorated room with plush red chairs and historical pictures. We had a few plates before heading off to Green Park.
My Mum had seen all the flowers in Green Park on the news earlier that day, and I knew that I had to go. It was about a 15-20 minute walk from the hotel, avoiding the crowds around Buckingham Palace.
As expected, there were many people when we arrived, it was amazing. There were so many flowers, photographs, hand drawn pictures, flags and balloons. All of the flowers were having the wrappers removed before being laid out. Some men were busy doing this to the ones brought from Buckingham Palace. It must have been a massive job. People who had brought their own flowers were asked to remove all paper before laying their tribute. Again, there were reporters reporting on the occasion and filming the flowers that had been put there.
Here below is some photos of the tributes in Green Park:
If I said this day couldn’t get any better, the original reason for coming to London for my birthday was to go to Le Gavroche restaurant as a special treat. Owned by chef Michel Roux Jr, we had booked three months in advance as it soon gets full. We were treated exceptionally by the wonderful staff. We had a tasting menu, seven courses of loveliness which was paired with a different wine with every course. I cannot say any more except it was all perfect and forms part of a day that I will cherish forever.
RIP Queen Elizabeth II
Long Live The King
jctraveller 
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