American Reacts to Policing the Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II - Operation London Bridge
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ส.ค. 2023
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In this video I react to policing the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II - Unseen Operation London Bridge. I can't even begin to imagine the amount of planning and effort that London's Metropolitan Police Service put into the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
Join me for a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most complex policing operations in Met police history, Operation London Bridge. In this captivating video, we not only learn about the planning, operation, and delivery of the ceremonial events, we also witness the dedication and professionalism of the police officers involved.
Hear firsthand accounts from the officers themselves and get a glimpse of the meticulous preparations and the emotions that surrounded one of the most historic events in UK history. Don't miss this unique perspective on the extraordinary efforts of the Metropolitan Police Service during the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
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Operation London Bridge was first planned in the early 1960s and subsequently regularly revised, updated and rehearsed. On the 8th of September 2022 the command “London Bridge is down “ was issued and it was put into action.
She was the Queen for the vast majority, for all of our lives.
Still seems strange she's no longer with us. To many it felt like losing our own grandmother.
yes it does
I couldn't have put it better myself. Well done and well said. 🙂
I would echo that. I can, just, remember her Coronation, she was a part of our lives for over 70 years, it's strange that she is no longer here.
Forever our Queen, mate.
I don't have any time for Charles though. I really don't like him. He isn't my king.
I'm patriotic, but I'm also not stupid, and I have a really good judge of character. Charles has so many red flags that I pine for the time before his coronation, or the acceleration to William being crowned.
@@Turn1t0ff
That's the thing with Monarchy, you have to take the rough with the smooth.
Personally I rather like him and I agree with a lot of his views. Not all of them though. But that's just me. 🙂
I still cry now when I see any footage from the funeral, I think for the majority of us it just felt so surreal. Because she ruled for so long she had always been a constant presence in our lives and thinking of our country without her is really sad 😔 even now almost 1 year on I still can’t get used to hearing “God Save The King” or hearing our barristers referred to as KCs rather than QCs etc. She really was the heart and soul of our country and she is sorely missed 💔
Me too, I still haven’t got over the death of our beloved Queen yet, if I ever will.
So do I. 💔. God just watching this and I start crying again.
Well said
There were two plans. 1) if she passed in London and 2) if she passed in Balmoral.
Plan 2 was actived because she passed away in Balmoral (her home). The plan was to fly her to london from Edinburgh. In the planning process, they were logistical issues about using the royal plane due to the space wasn't big enough to get her off the plane in a dignified way - which was seen when Diana was flown home. So the Queen asked what other options were available, and the RAF said the plane that flies UK soldiers home on their final journey but advised it wasn't visually good, a big grey plane. The Queen responded "if its good enough for my boys, it's good enough for me." Even in death, she was one with her military.
Her home was & always be Windsor Castle, Balmoral was her away retreat.
I met her majesty and was in line for over 11 hours to pay my respects, to this day i am so proud of the work she put in over the 70 years.
One of my nephews who joined the Royal Navy a few years back was one of the lads marching one of those big guns in the procession.
We loved her so much. No one was as selfless as her and was as unselfish. God bless her no one that has not witnessed her could understand how much we are so grateful she was our queen. not many people would feel this way about their leaders but even now I cry for this amazing woman. thank you Elizabeth.
The Queen planned every aspect of her funeral, she knew exactly what would happen, she even chose the Songs & Hymes to be played at each stage, and requested her Bagpipe Player to play a song as she was lowered.
easy to plan ecery aspect how you want when you're getting the tax payer to foot the bill
@@liam2386There really is something seriously wrong with you pal,Is it because you didn’t receive enough love when you were a snot nosed scummy little arsewipe, Never mind one day you may grow up to be a snot nosed scummy adult. But I doubt it.
I believe that the Queen had a massive input into her funeral and the hearse that carried her body was specifically designed by the Queen so the coffin could be seen even when dark
Down to the single letter 'E' monogram on it's doors, rather than the usual 'ER', knowing that she would no longer be Queen when it was used.
Prince Philip also had input into the design of *his* hearse, based on a Land Rover. Typical of the man that he'd try and re-use something. A true environmentalist ❤
@@tonywalton1464As is his son and eldest Grandson.
One of the loveliest parts of the whole event was watching the coffin moving from Balmoral to London. So poignant and fantastic seeing all the traffic and people stopping to watch it as it made its way along the route.
From Balmoral, it went to Edinburgh. The journey from Scotland to London was by air.
The stretch of road between Balmoral and Edinburgh where all the horses and riders lined the route was very touching. Very apt.
I watched the whole trip as well, even the route she took by air. I daren't leave the TV in case I missed the landing. When the plane appeared over the horizon I was in tears because I knew Our Queen was nearing home, although it still took a long while before she passed through the gates of Buckingham Palace. I watched until there was no more to see. 😢😢❤️🇭🇲
Remember she gave us 70 years, what is our 14/ 16 hrs waiting to say Thank you, and God Bless.
Hearing about the Queen still makes me cry .
Oh thats a bit much. cmon Pauline.
@@michael_177Why is it a it much… just because you aren’t affected.don’t begin to judge those of us who miss our late Queen..😡🇬🇧
Me too😢
The difference in police in the US to the police in the UK is one is a police force and the other is a police service!
My late father was awarded a QPM - they are not handed out very readily and we were hugely proud of him. He took a delegation of officers from his force to Caernarvon back in 1969, when then-Prince Charles was formally invested as Prince of Wales. Not on quite the same scale, but a similar approach. He explained to me that for occasions like this the officers lining the streets, facing the barricades, are instructed to get to know their section of the crowd, to be as helpful and friendly as they can. That helps the event go smoothly - the crowd come to know and trust "their" officer, but also the officer will be able to spot changes in mood or the intrusion of "strangers" very rapidly, and thus detect threats as soon as they manifest.
Thank you for sharing this; I hadn't seen it. The Met are not always trusted or liked, as some terrible recent events evidence, but this showed just how good they can be at their best - proud of their service and their Service.
Every single person in the UK was silent after the queen died ive never felt that feeling and everyone in the uk was just so respectful and no one would talk we just thought
Every single person in the Uk??? What a ridiculous statement! I’m in the UK and couldn’t care less when she died, except to wonder how much money it was going to cost us. I’ll thank you not to speak for me with your asinine and overblown nonsense.
@@user-blobOh shut your trap or fuck off to a republic ..you’ll be right at home over there ..arseholes all together.🇬🇧
@@user-blobShut up you disgusting disrespectful muppet. Our Queen served her country and her people for 70 YEARS, and the DECENT, RESPECFUL MAJORITY of the UK mourned her. What have YOU done for your country? SHAME on you. Thank heavens scumbags like you are a minority.
Steve it's been almost a year and yet seeing the opening scenes of that video brought a tear to the eye. It still seems impossible that the Queen is no longer with us.....
Wow! This video had me all emotional again. I remember where I was when I heard of The Queen's passing and how I felt. I travelled all the way from Bournemouth up to London to pay my respects. I got there as early as possible on the first day so the queue wasn't too long, compared to how long it eventually became. So after waiting in the queue for a few hours it only took three or four hours to reach Westminster Hall and file past the coffin. On the day of the funeral I sat in front of four tablets to see the proceedings from four different perspectives. So many networks covering the event.
I'm 65 years old and Queen Elizabeth was in my life longer than my parents. Feels very strange her not being around and no, I never seen her or met her. She was just always there.
I'm same,I am 71 this year,she has been in my life longer than my parents.
Me too !
The +Queen’s funeral plan included scenarios for if she died in London, Windsor, Sandringham, Scotland, and out of the country. As she died in Scotland, that plan, Operation Unicorn, was implemented for that aspect of the ceremonies and everything.
When I was a child there was a popular "ditty" that went, "if you want to know the time, ask a policeman"! Meaning literally, even the most simple question will be answered.
This doesn’t really give an idea of how many waited to see her lying in state. The line took me over 12 hours, started at 10pm and didn’t get in until 11am the next day. Was a sad but amazing experience to walk London at night with thousands of people to pay our last respects
Even David Beckham waited… God bless him 🥰
To give an idea of the distance it covered, the que was 10 miles long at its peak.
The longest anyone had to stand in line was just over 24 hours and at that point the line was 10 miles long
it was 9:15 hrs for me, I queued starting at about 9am
1 year on I'm still have water in my eyes. She's still missed. I went to London, the queue was too long but it's still a big regret that I didn't see her in lying-in-state. I went to see the flowers and instead of buying flowers, I gave to one of the charity she was patron.
Can't believe next month will be a year since we lost our wonderful Queen 😢 💔 🖤
Yep, and how many millions die each week that do not receive such ceremony?
@@kaneowen9671THAT'S LIFE.
Having served my queen and country I like many others swore an oath of allegiance to her majesty and her heirs and successors, it’s something that lives with me until I take my last breath…
The start of this made me cry and writing this I'm in tears I cannot think about Her Majesty without being emotional
When Diana (who was no longer a part of the Royal Family) died unexpectedly, they used the plan which had been put in place for Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.
Yes, she was granted the status and style of funeral of other members of the Royal Family, ie, what is called a Ceremonial Funeral.
It’s still so surreal to think that Queen Elizabeth isn’t here anymore. It still surprises me, then jumps back into my consciousness when I see myself at her funeral at 7:58 as I’d slept out at Whitehall to pay my respects. And the policing (as well as the parading by the armed forces that continued on the streets outside throughout the ceremony in the Abbey) was so impressive! It was like absolute clockwork, the whole thing, from the moment I arrived about 24hrs before the funeral, and such a surreal sense of quiet for the whole time, even though there were hundreds of thousands of people in such a small section of the city. Truly spectacular.
To show the level of planning … around midnight of the night before the funeral, machinery was brought in to remove all the traffic lights and fencing around Westminster, as wider space was needed to allow the procession to pass through along Whitehall. We were told they are installed in a way so they can be removed easily as the route is important for royal funerals, weddings and coronations. THAT’S the level of planning that went into all this!
I really love your videos it was so sad when she left Scotland on the plane it went over our town you could see it clearly in the sky it was very moving up
Thanks Margaret, I appreciate it.
Huge respect and admiration for all the police from across the UK and the especially the London Metropolitan Police for delivering such a complex operation so successfully. It was amazingly well planned and executed in every respect and despite all the VIP's from around the world and obvious security concerns, it all proceeded without incident. thankfully. This was a time of huge significance for our country and we remember our late Queen with great love and respect. RIP Queen Elizabeth II 🇬🇧
huge respect to all the hardworking struggling taxpayers paying for the funeral of one of the wealthiest women in the country
@@liam2386 She devoted 70 years of her life to serving the Country. What have you done?
@@liam2386 Yeah, no one who served their country that way for that long deserves ANYTHING but to give YOU all their money, right?
@@liam2386Shut up you disrespectful muppet. She served her country for 70 YEARS. What have YOU done for your country??
What really hit me about Queen Elizabeth's passing. My own mother passed away on 8th September 2019. So that made it harder for me.
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
My mother passed on 8th June, so the queen's passing was exactly 3 months after and it hit me so hard. A lot of emotions were dammed up getting things done when mum died and this event caused that dam to burst.
My mother passed away on 9th September 2016. It was 9th September here in Australia when Queen Elizabeth 2 passed away.
The queue to see the Queen's coffin during the lying in state stretched right across central London. I'm surprised that they managed to get people through in just 14 hours. RIP to a wonderful woman, the mother of the Commonwealth. We will not see her like again. And well done to the Met for doing an extremely difficult job very well.
I can say with full confidence that there is another operation already in planning for the kings funeral. It’s just what the British are like, “hope for the best, prepare for the worst”
boy scout motto " be prepared "
The planning would have existed as soon as he became heir to the throne - just as the plans for William and family do already
Operation Menai Bridge, has been in planning for decades.
He was born a week before my big sister, so he’s been around for the whole of most people’s lives too.
Charles is operation Menai bridge
I've been a Royalist all of my 49 years. That day was such a sad day for our nation, and for myself personally. I'd be lying if I said I didn't get emotional. I never met the Queen, but did get to see her up close (within 6ft), on two different occasions. She was always gracious, smiling, and happy to meet and greet the crowds.
Myself and my family were some of those that queued for 12-13 hours for the lying in state. It was around a 9 mile walk I believe, but due to the sheer enormity of the public wanting to pay their respects it took that long to get there.
We started queuing around 10am, and go to Westminster Hall, where the Queen was lying in state, around 11pm.
So worth it to pay our respects, and just for a brief few minutes be able to say goodbye to our Queen.
Oh wow! Leaking eyes again.
"She's gone" were the two words that many stated after they heard the sad news the Queen had died. Everyone in the UK & even people globally knew exactly who those two words were meant for. Now, everytime the Queen is mentioned i get a sickly sad feeling that reminds me She has gone & it really is like someone i thought of dearly like a mother/grandmother had died. I know i am not the only one with these feelings, millions feel the same. 🇬🇧🇺🇸
"how much is this gonna cost us???" i heard more
@@liam2386 Really? I didn't hear anyone say that. Perhaps it was just you.
@@liam2386I’m sure it was your own selfish words you we’re hearing..🙄🇬🇧
@@Paul-hl8ygCOST THE UK TAXPAYERS MILLIONS OF POUNDS FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS THE MONWEY TO PAY THEMSELVES AKA ROYAL FAMILY WHO UK TAXPAYERS HAE BEEN KEEPING THE LOT OF THEM SINCE FUCKING TIME BEGAN😡😡😡 AND UK ON ITS ARSE WITH POVERTY,FOOD BANKS & MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES!!!BUT HEY HO FUCK THE TAXPAYER THEY’LL FOOT THE BILL😡😡😡
The queen funeral had been planned for years, the queen herself had a big say in what was to happen and chose the hymns and songs and music she wanted. The route and what and where were planned , so it was putting those plans into action while not knowing just how many people would line the route and everything that would be needed to support the crowds with first aid, ambulance support and crime prevention. People actually camped out for days in the run up to the event to get a good spot. The people loved her majesty and it showed in how they turned out gor her.
I started to cry as soon as I saw the old footage of Huw Edward announcing it on the BBC, even though it’s nearly a year since her death. I had the privilege of seeing The Queen and Prince Philip during a walkabout in my home town in Wales, during her Silver Jubilee tour in 1977, I was 11 at the time, great memories, what got me during our national mourning was when The Queen was taken to Westminster Hall for her Lying in State, Big Ben tolled every minute and and the band played Beethoven’s and Chopin’s funeral march, I was in floods of tears
It was a wonderful funeral, very sad but amazing. Been planned by the Queen & others with advice for many years but still such hard work. Very proud of everyone for the amazing respect shown.
The Queen was our go to in time's of crisis or status quo. Always there.
The Police are usually friendly and approachable in normal circumstances , but when the situation demands they are capable of dealing and have specialist units quickly available . There are plans for all National events and the death of the Queen was one that everyone knew would come , unlike Diana which was sudden and unexpected , but to be the one to actually have to carry it out must be daunting and this video was very good . The Queen was loved and respected throughout the world , our services swear allegiance to the Monarch rather than the Government and she took her duties seriously . The King and the Royal family have a hard act to follow , but a vast reservoir of affection to help them thanks to her .
I'm not so sure of your opening sentence!!!
@@johnh2912Spend time in the US and you’ll change your mind… 🙄🇬🇧
They used the plan for the queen mother's funeral and adapted it for Diana, because it was so sudden.
The name of the operation was London Bridge from the Nursery Rhyme "London Bridge is falling down"*. Upon the death, apparently, the code phrase was "the bridge has fallen".
*London Bridge is falling down/Falling down, falling down/London Bridge is falling down/My fair lady
Not really like that the operation names are more yo do with what they and monarch decides, Charles ex pow is Menai bridge has fallen, George v1 was hyde Park has fallen, Queen mother I was there when tay Bridge has fallen
So whatever code word it's fallen, and yes despite Balmoral and operation unicorn, London Bridge was still enacted as well
Council, media and others will, always have the green book with there part to play, ie council flag half mast, books of condolence, getting barrier crews yo certain locations, local, 999 services and of course armed forces and police wiyh direct responsibility like royal protection and so on
So unicorn will be the sctottisg bit her staying in Edinburgh etc but same time London Bridge is fully active on all the major parts
As soon as I saw Charles getting into helo with old tatty case I knew she was going all the paperwork needed for him to deal with at death enacting London Bridge and unicorns
I was there along the mall , very moving I have to say . Everything is organised down to the last detail , my son was an officer keeping the area safe on the day 😊. Years and years in the planning Steve .
With my mum a lifelong royalist, I hear stories of previous monarchs in other centuries: their coronations, weddings, funerals - the size of the events with people lining the streets, the celebrations and marking of occasions. This really is the first time most of us have seen such living history, with her reign long enough for retired people to have been born under her reign. The most symbolic moment was the snapping of the staff and removal of the jewels from the coffin. Almost like she was handing the power back as God took her back (the official fundamental belief of the monarch). Gloriously medieval.
No! I looked at her as my Queen, and it broke my heart when she died.
Each senior member of the Royal family has a very detailed funeral plan in place and each one has a different operational code name. Our late Queen was operation London Bridge. Her late husband Prince Philip was operation Forth Bridge. Her late mother was operation Tay Bridge which was also used for the funeral of the late Princess Diana. King Charles is using operation Menai Bridge. Each person plans their funeral down to the last detail and it takes many years in the making.
I know I shouldn't be but I'm a little surprised that it was an all-female team in charge. Magnificent job ladies!
Yes, I wanted to say that....and was wary that someone would say 'ooh how patronising'....you know 🙄 How impressive though; these three women in particular and then everyone who worked so hard to ensure the momentous day went as well as it did; I do hope someone was given an appropriate award for the achievement.
@@nightowl5395They will probably receive the KPM.
DAC Connors used to be my boss, very capable. She was certainly going places.
@@sandrac3517 DAC Connors already has the QPM. Damehood possibly next.
I think they were just the ones in the public order roles at the time, commander Findlay has done loads of other events
On the subject of Policing and the demeanour of LEO's, in the early 90's I was waiting outside JFK Airport, about 12 foot from a cop who was leaning on a glass window of the airport. I noticed that his belt was pulling down the right hand side of his trousers and said to him "Blimey that Gun looks heavy", he turned his head, looked me square in the face and BELLOWED "D'ya wanna fin' out!". I raised my eyebrows, shook my head and walked off. When I turned around he was following me in such a comical gunslinger pose that made me laugh, he was not a happy chappie! My ride turned up, a stunning midnight Blue XJ Jaaaag from our company, Officer Dibble wasn't invited to the Company BBQ.
She was there every day for most of my life and there will never be another like her
We were at Windsor Castle and everyone was very well behaved and respectful.
Our queen is surely missing 70 years of her service RIP to out ony queen of England ❤
Love watching your reactions and appreciate that you don’t talk for the sake of it but only when it fits. God bless you from the UK 🇬🇧
She picked the hearst with big windows and lights so her people could get a clear look at her , and picked the flowers she wanted and the pole bearers and a lot more
Also chose the hymns and the readings.
I'm watching this In bed crying because we all loved the queen and I miss seeing her in the news on TV etc.. She wanted to die in Scotland. I went to the queen mothers funeral and climbed high up on a building to get a good view which was also a state funeral and I will never forget. The pomp and ceremony is not anything I can describe without you bring there but I fekt so proud to be British that day and the same as Diana's funeral and now the Queens funeral.
Many years ago I met a lovely young police officer in Manhattan, opposite St Patrick's cathedral on our last day in New York that trip. He was professional but just as friendly as our 'bobbies' on the beat, chatting and letting us take photo's. Officer McCormack.
The British are experts at organising large events like this. Thankfully we don't have these sad events too often, and hopefully we won't see another one like it for a long time.
However just in case, planning for the funeral of King Charles III is already underway, and has been for a while. It started when he was Prince of Wales, hence the name - Operation Menai Bridge (for those who don't know, the Menai Bridge is in Wales).
The general plans for Queen Elizabeth's funeral would have come into being when She succeeded her father - in other words since 1952. The Planning would have been completely dynamic and updated or modified throughout her reign. Obviously the planing would have become more frequent as her Majesty got older, or when She was ill. The whole infrastructure and workings of London have changed a great deal in the more than 70 years since Her Coronation. There would have been detailed plans for a repatriation from anywhere worldwide due to the enormous number of foreign countries She visited. In common with all emergency and military planners many "what if" events can exist in folders off the shelf. They must all be capable of being updated as circumstances alter as an inflexible plan quickly becomes restrictive and useless. You can be sure that all V.I.P.s and member of the Royal Family have a file open - as do all media have obituaries on file ready for the inevitable.
@@richardwest6358The plans were first drawn up 50+ years ago - no-one remembers who made her coffin because it was made so long ago, the company that made it went out of business in 2001 and its records were lost.
I believe the Duke of Norfolk organises these big events.
@@geoffbentley8774 That's right, in his capacity as Earl Marshal. The Dukes of Norfolk have held the position by hereditary right since 1672, and the first Howard Duke of Norfolk held the position in the 14th century. I've never met the current Duke, but his late father the 17th Duke was well-known and well-liked locally. A very genial and approachable gentleman.
Amazing stuff. The operation was absolutely gargantuan and the Police did a fantastic job, no question. The People that were not mentioned were the ones with the ultimate Power.
Not a Mother or a Grandmother but the leader of our armed forces the police and the Country
All three surely? Plus a wife!
Yeah but... not really. She never led anything in her whole life. The whole point of a constitutional monarchy is to do nothing, but in a grandiose and vaguely meaningful way
The late Queen had laid out plans for her funeral decades ago under the code name "Operation London Bridge" and was regularly updated. Within this operation there were also other plans incorporated to cover the possibility of her dying overseas, or in Scotland. As she died at Balmoral, her Scottish holiday home, "Operation Unicorn" then had to be put into action for the events in Scotland before she was brought back to London. As well as policing the streets of London, it was also a huge security operation with so many head of state attending. They all came to Westminster Abbey in buses from a secret location, apart from Jo Biden, who was allowed to use his own vehicle.
There are also plans in place for the king it takes many years of planning
I met the Queen when I was around 9. She came to our Primary School for a visit. I was showing off football skills along with a number of other kids on the school playground. She asked me if I liked football. I told her I didn’t but they made the good kids learn football skills to show off for her visit and hid all the naughty kids that were actually good at football. She laughed and got hurried along by the headmaster away from me. At the time I wasn’t being rebellious, I was just being honest. Look back now and laugh. And I still remember the way she smells. Like rose scented perfume.
I watched the entire 9 hour journey live on tv from the moment the Queen's hearse came through the gates of Balmoral Castle and made it's way through the Scottish countryside to Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, and then to lying in State at St Giles Cathedral with the Scottish crown on her coffin, before going down to London. The police in London did an amazing job controlling and protecting tens of thousands. I did not know there were police from outside the UK there. Interesting that the Gold and Silver commanders were both women!
There used to be a Policeman on every main street corner of London when I was young, people could ask them the way or the time and kids would talk to them. Now they are all in cars. For Diana's Funeral which me and my son and daughter went to unexpectedly, (my son's 17th birthday and we were going shopping in Oxford Street that morning) we took photos of my young daughter with the very nice Policemen and women. Some were on horseback. Imagine ....they had 1 week to prepare for that day.
Not just the Met. Thames Valley had officers on the route on the final part.
I spent the day fielding calls and watching the system uptime on one monitor while watching the events on the other.
I Walked For 13 Hrs , To See Her Late Most Glorious Majesty Lying In State , & Entered The Hall At 4.30 In The Morning !, A Truly Wonderful Experience , Treated So Well By Our Amazing Police Forces & Londoners !
Operation London Bridge had been in place since HM was 25 and when she came to the throne. It was tweeked over years. HM approved the final plan and HM also had Jaguar build her, her own hearse. Which she had altered to include more glass and a higher roof line.😮
Thinking about Her Majesty still brings a tear to my eye. I believe the Queen organised every aspect of her funeral and what would happen if she died in another country of the UK. When arranging what she wanted to happen should she die in Scotland she was told that there wasn't a suitable plane to take her back to london, the only plane suitable was the one used to bring the fallen back from Afghanistan, her Majesty replied that if it was good enough for her boys it was good enough for her.
Fantastic! Job done! God Bless them. God Bless her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. It seems we've hardly had enough time to dwell on her passing. It's still a shock. Every time I see one of the programmes related to this event it strikes me again what a shock it wqs to hear Her Majesty had passed away. Highest respect to those who served her so wonderfully. Highest respect to Her Majesty who served her people as "Your servant", ER II, with such dignity, honour and Faith to the end. God Bless her and keep her in His Grace.
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
The Queen was quite simply the most stable part of many of our lives. I never got to speak to her but I have seen her majesty’s many times as I lived in Windsor and Wolferton. The Sandringham estate.
In 1999 I was looking after the child of the guy in charge of the Queen Mother's (Operation Tay Bridge) and Operation London Bridge had been in place for some time then. Obviously the plans get revised and updated over time, but my impression was that the family was quite open about it. The Queen Mother used to delight in reassuring him, "I'm not dead yet!"
I think the difference in policing is that one group are "serving" and the other is "enforcing".
Another difference is that drugs are less of a problem in the UK, and theres not more guns in the country than people. If you have banned hand guns, let alone military assault rifles , you only have criminal pockets where the risk is high. In America, forceful , aggressive policing is partly a response go a much higher risk of being killed on duty and theres no possibility of amending the responsible bits of the constitution - which reflect the world of 1800 , nor of finding all the weapons if you decided to reduce the threat level.
The Queen's funeral followed the tradition set first by Queen Victoria, takin g place for only reigning monarchs although there can be exceptions. For example, there was a State Funeral for Winston Churchill in 1965. The Queen's Funeral plans were in existence for decades and even she was involved in the planning of the event.
Just to add, though the Metropolitan Police as well as other military chiefs were involved with the planning of the event, The Met brought in 1000's of officers from Forces all over the UK to assist with the event pass off so peacefully and without incident.
Still made me cry!
If you want to learn more about policing in the UK you can start with the Peelers, the first 'police' in the UK set up by Sir Robert Peel in the 1700's.
They keep saying that it was the largest policing challenge ever, which means that it was BIGGER than the 2012 Olympics! Operation London Bridge would have been in existence from the moment of transition, I'm not sure how often the plans were updated but there would have been an outline plan in place even before the Queen's Coronation. King Charles' funeral plan while he was Prince of Wales was called Operation Menai Bridge, and I think that has carried over now he is King.
1800s
@@alanmon2690 my bad, I guess the reference that I read mentioning the 18th century actually meant the 19th century.
@@SevCaswell it's easy to get confused by 18th century and 1800s.I always do a mental check to make sure
@@alanmon2690 I wasn't the confused one, the article I googled to check my facts mentioned the 18th century which is the 1700s, so the writer of the article must have been confused.
first police force in England
3 generations the queen served ❤
As Princess Elizabeth & heir, the funeral plan would have been out in place. Then once she became Queen she would have decided what she wanted, probably tweaked over the years. She died in Balmoral, Scotland, driven then to St Giles in Edinburgh where she lied in state before going to London. Thanks for this video, I hadn't seen it before.
That was very moving watching that Steve, and looks like it was to you too. One of my cousins queued for many hours to walk pass the Queen's coffin lying in state.
Although, these days, you have to consider that some individual or group, may plan to interrupt the procession, I have a feeling that if the crowd got hold of them before the police, there would probably not be enough left of them to put in a body bag, so thank God nobody tried.
We are masters at these types of events. 😊
That was moving, to think about that day again....I only watched it on television but I will never forget it. Thank you Steve for showing this particular perspective of the day; those three women in particular should be so proud of themselves - and everyone else who played a part in the smooth running of such an momentous event; it was a real achievement.
She was a wonderful lady who served her country well for the whole of her life, she is missed immensely
Having been involved in the military side of the Queen's funeral, I can assure you that you were 100% right about it being stressful as hell for the whole 10 day period!
As for how long it's been planned for, they actually started planning for it just after she'd taken the throne, because they couldn't predict how long she'd live for, as dark as that sounds.
Her Majesty arranged everything down to the last detail of her funeral 🇬🇧🌹
All of the major royal funeral operations in recent times were named after bridges. Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother's was Operation Tay Bridge, Prince Philip's was Operation Forth Bridge, and so there seems to have been a connection between the person who had died and the bridge their 'operation' was named - as QEQM had opened the Tay Road Bridge in 1966 - plus her childhood home was in one of the counties it connected; while Prince Philip was Duke of Edinburgh - and the Forth Bridge is within that city's boundaries.
I still remember that day I remember talking about it at work the day before saying she just looks so tiny now especially after Philip died. I had never met her but I will admit I had a little cry that night she had been my queen for 26 years I will miss her dearly.
What a great video Steve. So interesting. How wonderful to celebrate these folks who kept everything working and safe. Thanks for sharing this. Peace
Thanks Rev Peter. I can't imagine how many people it took to make this funeral happen so smoothly.
Queen was fully involved in the Funeral Service and all the travelling from where she died to finally Westminster Abbey, including the service in St Giles, Edinburgh. Each of the Royal Family had their own funeral planning in the event of their death....each with a codename of (something) Bridge. Forth Bridge I think was Prince Philip, Prince Charles was Menai Bridge, etc. Some of the planning started in the 1960's. All 'notable' folk had plan filed somewhere. I have to keep a file in my office of Obituaries and funeral wishes etc of several 'head' people in my time, not many of them were used, though, when I worked as their Assistant, I'm glad to say!
London bridge was in planning for a very very long time.
I was working in a company that built software for the Royal Navy and British Army two of which were the public facing websites for the two. This was 6 years ago and we were already making changes to ready for the event. I would imagine the more significant or important planning could have already started 6 years or more prior to that.
It is not doubt something that touched a lot of people in some way professionally.
The gold and silver commanders are the two of the commanders for the event. In the UK we use the GSB (Gold,Silver,Bronze) system for running major incidents or events
Gold-Stregic commander. They are of tern senior officers and are oftern in a control room
Silver-Tactical commander. They are normally closer to the scene and condirate the incident on the tactical level.
Bronze-Oprational commander. They are running the response from the scence or event meaning there is usually a few of them are often inspectors or sergents,
Hope that gives a better understanding of what the gold and silver command was there is lots of information online from the police such as the collage of policing website and there is a video on youtube explaining incident command I believe
The planning towards the "Queen's" funeral (not her Princess' funeral) itself basically started as soon as her father the King died and she became the next Monarch in line, even before she was coronated a while later in the next year, Steve - (The Queens Coronation planning was needed) . . . As with Charles, he literally became King upon the immediate news of his mothers death in 2022 - his coronation was also held later in the following year of 2023 after that was planned out also . . . (However, all Royals basically have funeral plans started when they are born - they just progress as the years go by - and can change again in many wats if their titles are altered to higher levels, too . . .
In terms of the actual planning of it - Royals can offer a lot of their own things into it from the start, more so what hymns, and even what the marching song(s) to the cortege may be - when old enough to know better themselves. With the Queens cortege, you may have heard that all of the bands were playing the exact same tune in time during the march. They can also choose the main guests to be asked to come to their own funeral, however, the likes of the next heir can add or detract any names too be asked also if there may be any unexpected issues. I'm not sure about road routes, as that could depend more on police planning and availability - and making detour diversions for that to happen - but perhaps they can ask for a route and see how it might work out?
Those pall bearers did an amazing job ❤❤
They really did. What a responsibility.
The following is purely my own thoughts on the matter. The big difference that I suspect exists between the UK and the USA were police are concerned is that I get the impression that in the US the police regard themselves as separate from the community they are supposed to serve. I have heard and read of US police officers describing members of the general public as 'civilians' as though, they, the police, are some kind of military force. Indeed I sometimes think that in some cases US police officers behave as though they are an occupying army in the midst of a hostile foreign country. I admit to have never visited the US, my impression is formed from news items and articles I have read, but there really does seem to be a huge difference between the two countries. In the UK the police are a part of the community and they act by the consent of the wider general public. I am not saying they are perfect, there will always be those who overstep the mark, on both sides, but by and large our system seems to work much better than what you have in the USA. I think that Policing in the UK is a subject you would find of interest Steve. Regards from the UK.
Queen Eliabeth started plans for her funeral in the 1960s, Such a long time ago, Still miss her and still shed tears 11 months after her passing, R I P your majesty.
She was the one stable thing in life that's so scarey at the moment with all the changes about to come
Respect to everyone involved. You did the Queen and the country proud.
Our Queen ……so very special ❤️
Sorry can't watch this video yet as it still makes me cry so much, but they all did her proud that day
Hi Steve . Not one police officer in Dorset that day those who was not in London was watching it on Tv, we had no problems that day the us could learn a lot from the way our policing works, very few times would a policeman use a gun herein the united kingdom.
Even tho it was inevitable it was also a complete shock and so very sad. For somebody who was always at such a distance it felt an extremely personal loss, so so sad.
The funeral started being planned the day she took the throne. Obviously things have been changed over time. Security measures tightened, the route changed alittle I believe. The queen was very involved. As far as i know she was in a meeting every 12 months to go over things with those in charge.
I actually had to ask a policeman the best directions from the centre of Birmingham to a subsidiary train station. I was spoken to politely and given the exact directions within seconds. Very helpful the chap was, too.
Are US policeman that good and helpful?
It really depends on where you are. In smaller towns everyone knows the police officers so they tend to be more friendly, but in a lot of big cities it can be quite different.
@@reactingtomyroots Regrettably, that was almost my assumption.
I believe operations like this go into planning from the day the old monarch passes on and the next Queen/King takes on the role, and is updated often during their reign. The only state funeral for a non royal I know of was in 1965 for Sir Winston Churchill.