> The line to see QEII's coffin was 5 miles long, with a wait time of 13 hours. Clearly some people really were interested in the queen I'm not a monarchist bu

> The line to see QEII's coffin was 5 miles long, with a wait time of 13 hours. Clearly some people really were interested in the queen I'm not a monarchist but I queued (11.5 hours). I wanted to pay my respects to her as a person who had been a central figure in Britain for my entire life. I also believed that many other people would feel the same, and it was a chance to be a part of this large ad-hoc community. I also believe that for all the faults of the monarchy, and considering as an example the massively polarising debate around Brexit, that the British would not be able to easily create a better system without setting off some intense and destructive national tensions.