Thread by @tony_j_hunter

The Queue is a marvel of Britishness. I’ve just joined in Southwark Park. I’m at the head of the queue and have been walking for 15 minutes of rotating Z shapes.

People aren’t overtaking each other, even when marginal gains could be won. I’m behind an old couple walking slowly, but I’m not overtaking and taking the W.

Can confirm there are more toilets here than at Reading Festival.

I think the guy next to me has a tent?

Am now approaching the slower moving portion of The Queue. The last 20 minutes were just practise. Now we’re heading for the hardcore queue.

By entering at a different part of the Park you skip The Precursor Queue. Outrageous.

My Apple Watch has asked if I’m out for a walk. Nah, I’m queuing. @Apple @tim_cook please add a new mode for Queueing to represent the needs of a nation.

There is a man here without shoes. I thought my awful @Allbirds were a bad choice, but comparatively I’ve picked well.

Have been pitched two new crypto scams while in The Queue. Thank you @Twitter DMs for this high quality content.

I’ve not seen David Beckham of any other members of the Peaky Blinders here.

I lived round the corner from this park for a year when I worked at @MorganStanley. I’ve spent more time in it today than then. #80hourweeks #lifeofanintern

Walking The Queue selling refreshments is the largest missed opportunity to sell to a captive audience of all time. @HarvardHBS pls write a case on this. LMK if you need an eye witness interview.

Someone near me has brought Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, just started it. Presumably will have finished it twice by the time we pay our respects. Well done @jk_rowling providing entertainment when needed.

Someone behind me works on revenue maximisation of biscuit brands. Dying to ask them for more details.

We are leaving Southwark Park. The sun is starting to set. A new queue at the traffic lights. We’ve got this.

A pub on The Queue route. Coining it.

London.

This is entrepreneurship.

I’ve just read something that I put on my reading list in 2021.

I’ve made Queue Friends. Alice and Kate, or Katie. It’s too late to ask for clarity.

It’s Sarah not Katie or Kate. She’s a judge.

There’s a new queuing formation at City Hall. A huge amount of excitement just now where we took lots of ground quickly.

New queue format just dropped.

Official part of this now.

Officially*. Turns out Twitter doesn’t have an edit button?? Did you know @TwitterSupport?

Power Queue’d ™️ to the Belfast. Please enjoy some serious lens flare.

Someone has turned up with a @FiveGuysUK and I’ve never been more willing to steal from a stranger.

Update:

We just heard Big Ben chime 9. No one has a sense of time any more. When did we start queuing? Was it yesterday?

I lost the judge, but found her again. I bought her son a beer.

Beginning to regret bringing a laptop.

I’m the one in red at the back

https://twitter.com/stuartbeveridge/status/1570666434967248896

These absolute legends are giving out free pizza. Hard to see over this serious iPhone 11 Pro lens flare. Shout out to @reckless, please enjoy this terrible camera.

Talking of absolute legends, @camjuu just turned up with a Guinness. Thank you!

First I’ve heard of it.

A Queue by any other name would smell as sweet

Bit of excitement - police boat went by us full pelt. We Queuers find excitement in small things to bond over.

In the queue (not “The Queue”) for a coffee at The Tait. They don’t know I queue professionally.

Approaching Westminster now.

#lensflareappreciationclub

I haven’t sat down in eight hours. Chairs are a thing of the past. My bed - warm and comfortable though it is - is a distant memory. I am The Queue.

Happy to be an EP of this

https://twitter.com/MissAHaddow/status/1570351385039749120

A man is eating an entire Malt Loaf in front of me. Sustenance.

Two more bridges till Westminster.

We’ve reached The Southbank. Someone is playing We Are The Champions on a piano. The @BFI have put on film of The Queen’s coronation.

Much chat in The Queue about the length and number of people _behind_ us. “19 hours!! 24 hours!!”. No one knows but it keeps us guessing. It keeps us going.

Queue friends assemble.

At the home of London skateboarding. On the home straight now.

We’re officially on my second day of The Queue. Is this what “the DMV” is like for Americans?

Parliament.

The Millennium Dome.

Walking through Jubilee Park now. In my first startup, my co-founders and I walked round this place and recorded our intro video for @Techstars. Amazingly they didn’t reject us out of hand for that vid. That came later.

I’ve just seen two people walk up to the queue near St Thomas’ and merge right in. Must have got their wrist bands at City Hall and got a cab/tube here. As a respectful Queuer, I don’t know how to process this.

Have just been informed that it’s potentially another 4-6 hours _from here_. This is an interesting development.

Queue team.

Many people are flagging. Some have hit “The Wall” from running fame. I am one of these people.

Good news: have just been told by police that they shut the hall between 2-3am to do rehearsals and clean the place. Very, very happy to hear this great news. Good to gain more of The Queue experience.

I’m in the queue for the coffee shop near Lambeth Bridge. My father in law loved this cafe. RIP Steve, I think of you often.

“All please”.

We’ve been stopped at the bridge. So close. So far.

That coffee and brownie, while delicious, were a huge strategic error. Note to Future Queuers, if there’s fast moving traffic near Lambeth Bridge near 2am, go with the flow, don’t get a coffee - they shut the Palace for 1-2 hours at night for rehearsals.

We’re off again!

Taking the bridge.

We’re over the bridge and there’s a new zig zag queue.

Good to be walking again. Good to be back to The Queue. Didn’t think I’d miss it, but I did.

I’m sorry to report that I have seen some people cutting under the rope barriers of The Queue.

It’s desperation. It’s sad. Will report to Police.

The Scouts are running the show, very much past their bedtime.

So close. And yet, so far.

Once more upon the breach again dear friends, once more.

We’re walking towards our brothers and sisters in-Queue. The Palace is about to be reopened after rehearsals.

Phone being turned off now dear reader. Thanks for following. See you soon.

I’ve been and gone. Leaving the Palace at 5am, ~12.45 hours after starting The Queue.

The chamber was quiet, respectful. People walked slowly through it. Ushers told us to break into two lines, then divided us into two sub lines, one closer to the coffin. 4 police, 4 Beefeaters, 6 soldiers surrounded it.

Each of us had a chance to individually address the coffin before continuing to file out. Had we timed it better, we could have seen the changing of the guard, was just about to happen (on the hour).

Fin.

Update: still feel like I'm in motion. Would not recommend brining a fold-out chair to #TheQueue #thequeueforthequeen - you won't get to use it much, and when you do, there are often real chairs to sit on.