A Comrie butcher has spoken of the “spiritual experience” of seeing the Queen’s coffin after queuing overnight for more than 12 hours.
Murray Lauchlan, owner of David Comrie and Sons Butchers, was awake for more than 32 hours in his successful quest to say a personal goodbye to the late monarch.
The 57 year old’s journey began on Saturday when he boarded the 6pm train from Edinburgh Waverley to London King’s Cross.
At 11.30pm he began queuing at Southwark Park and finally arrived at Westminster Hall to see Her Majesty’s coffin by noon on Sunday.
“I felt drawn to doing this,” he said. “I was right with what I did because I felt it was all worthwhile and it was what I wanted to do.”
‘The queue was very quiet’
In the queue Murray struck up a connection with four people – two men and a couple – with whom he says he will remain friends.
“The queue was very quiet,” he recalled. “There was not a lot of noise, partially because we were walking through in the pitch black, although it was very well lit.
“There was a lot of good fun between people there, there was a lot of camaraderie and exchanging of stories.
“People spoke about meeting with the Queen and also what brought them to visit.
“There were not loud noises, shouting, music playing or people on their phones.
“It was a very calming, quiet and reflective experience – not just the 12-and-a-half hours waiting but the time afterwards.”
‘A spiritual experience’
Murray, a session clerk at Comrie Parish Church, spent five minutes of reflection with the Queen’s coffin at Westminster Hall.
“You go through quite quickly,” he said. “There will have been hundreds of thousands of people there and you are encouraged to spend the time you feel is appropriate but not to linger.
“It was an overwhelming experience, a spiritual experience.”
Later that day Murray was heading to his hotel in Great Russell Street when he bumped into a familiar face.
It was Stephen Leckie, the boss of Crieff Hydro who was in London to attend the funeral in his role as the Lord Lieutenant of Perth and Kinross
“It was incredible to see a familiar face,” Stephen said.
Murray finally fell asleep at 8.15pm – more than 32 hours after waking on Saturday morning.
‘You could have heard a pin drop’
He remained in central London on Monday for the Queen’s funeral.
“I was outside entrance to Clarence House, where I saw Charles going out as King towards Westminster Abbey,” Murray recalled.
“I saw him a second time saw him behind the Queen’s carriage as it went up The Mall.
“It was amazing in The Mall because there were speakers on every lamppost so we could hear the whole service.
“We sang along with the hymns and the national anthem. When the Archbishop of Canterbury prayed we bowed our heads.
“When there was the two-minute silence there were maybe 50,000 people in The Mall but you could have heard a pin drop.
“There was a solemn silence.
“Everyone who w as there was there because of the Queen – it wasn’t like you had passers by.
“People were respectful and unanimous at the way they treated the whole event.”
‘It was not something I will regret’
Murray left London on Monday night and will be back serving customers at his butcher shop on Tuesday morning.
“It was emotionally tiring as well as physically tiring but it was all worthwhile,” he added.
“It was not something I will regret for even the slightest second.”
Conversation