The Number Of People Mourning When The Queen Dies Could Practically Shut Down London
After Princess Diana died in August of 1997, mourners flocked en masse to Kensington Palace (via Reader's Digest). Thirty feet of flowers and other objects memorializing the Princess of Wales stretched from the gates. The world may have never known such an incredible display of grief after the death of a British royal family member. And remember, the internet was far from as much of a part of our daily lives as it is now, so people who wanted to pay their respects to the young mom of two were unable to simply log on to Facebook and express their feelings about the tragic death of a woman admired far beyond England.
With this memory as a backdrop, one has to wonder what London could be like following the death of Queen Elizabeth. The 96-year-old has sat on the throne for an astonishing 70-plus years, which means, as Reader's Digest points out, many people living in Britain have never known another monarch.
Considering what a shock it will be when Her Majesty's rule comes to an end, and Prince Charles takes over as monarch, experts predict that London could be overwhelmed by the sheer number of mourners who might drop everything to honor their beloved Queen.
London is already very crowded
Queen Elizabeth will be honored online to be sure given that in contrast to when Princess Diana died, social media is used by more than 4.6 billion people worldwide (via Statista). News of her passing will spread quickly via Facebook and Instagram, where royal mourners will likely go to express their love and admiration for the long-ruling monarch.
But people are also likely to take London by storm with an unprecedented outpouring of grief according to experts (via Reader's Digest). The city is already home to over 9 million people, making it the second-biggest city in terms of population on the continent.
When non-residents of London inundate its roads and public transportation, the city may grind to a standstill and be unable to support the massive influx. Hotels and police resources could also be stretched too thin.
Queen Elizabeth will be mourned for over 10 days
It's worth noting that if Queen Elizabeth dies outside of London — like at her estate in Balmoral, Scotland — her royal train will transport her body back to Buckingham Palace, where it will remain until a funeral procession to Westminster Abbey (via Cosmopolitan).
It's there that thousands of besotted admirers will visit her coffin — if they can even make it there due to the overwhelming congestion in the city. Interestingly, the monarch's funeral wouldn't take place until more than a week after she actually passes away, known as D-Day, according to Politico, with rehearsals for the internationally-televised event marking the days leading up to the ceremony.
The day of the funeral will be a national day of mourning for the country, and even if the ceremony falls on a weekend, royal fans will get another day off to pay their respects or just try to head home amid a gridlocked city.