In London, it’s boom time for florists, especially around Buckingham Palace. After trading pounds for peonies, Britons stream through Green Park and make their way to the iron gates, where officers have been waiting for them. Leave your tributes—bouquets only, and please remove the cellophane—and pay your respects, but do be brief about it, because others are waiting. In the photographs splashed all around the Internet, the lilies always look fresh, but that’s because all of the detritus is whisked away every 12 hours to make room for the next batch. A few blocks away, at Westminster Hall, tens of thousands of mourners are arranged in a 10-mile-long line so they can spend a few short seconds with Elizabeth II’s oak coffin. We’re on a schedule here, people.
It’s impossible to do much of anything in the United Kingdom without a stern reminder that the country has suffered a tremendous loss. From the Cecil Beaton photographs lining Pimlico Road to the quasi-corporate billboards framing the entrance to Heathrow, the triumphant eyes of Her Majesty are inescapable. Good luck even ordering toilet paper without incident. Ocado, the online grocer, will get it to you on time, but not without also noting that their thoughts are with the royal family during this most difficult period.
