Tilda Swinton, David Beckham, Sharon Osbourne and Other Celebs Spotted in the Massive Queue to Honor Queen Elizabeth II - Vanity Fair

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Familiar faces appear among the thousands waiting to pay their last respects to the former monarch.

By Jordan Hoffman

September 17, 2022

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“Tales From The Queue” is lining up to be the great unforeseen story emerging from London following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Loyal British subjects and international well-wishers have arrived in droves to pay last respects at Westminster Hall, where the late queen's coffin is lying in state. The longest reported time spent standing alongside the Thames River is a full 24 hours, and on Saturday, King George III and Prince William walked among the people to boost spirits as they waited. A wristband system has been deployed to allow people to step out for brief periods to get food or answer the call of nature.

It’s not the typical setting for celebrities who are more accustomed to having things hand-delivered to them, but some have suffered through it for the sake of being a part of history. Tilda Swinton, recently at the Venice Film Festival for the premiere of Joanna Hogg’s The Eternal Daughter (and still in theaters, starring opposite Idris Elba in George Miller’s Three Thousand Years of Longing), was spotted in the general public queue. Swinton, who was friendly with Princess Diana at the West Heath Girls’ School in Kent, was noticed on the official live stream and shouted out on social media with the #RespectTheQueue hashtag.

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It's unclear just how long Swinton waited, but legendary English soccer player David Beckham, in a suit, newsboy cap, and using an umbrella as a walking stick, was among the many who slowly crept their way forward for 13 hours, according to CNN. A BBC reporter approached him for a quick interview, knowing he couldn’t exactly leave lest he lose his place to pay his respects.

“We all want to be here together, we all want to experience something where we celebrate the amazing life of our Queen,” he said. He also described what he and his comrades had been snacking on since the wee hours.

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Sharon Osbourne, who recently declared that she and husband Ozzy Osbourne would soon be leaving Los Angeles and making Britain their primary residence again, also queued up, saying, “I love the Queen, and I came over for this because I’m a royalist and I love the royal family.”

Also, Good Morning Britain’s Susanna Reid shared tips in awaiting her turn to view the Queen's coffin before Monday's state funeral.

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Many on social media applauded these celebs for their esprit de corps and not using their status to get on the increasingly controversial VIP line. Many Members of Parliament have undergone criticism for effectively skipping the queue and avoiding time with the general public.

There is also a special queue for people with disabilities, but it, too, has faced some criticism. The line was shut down temporarily when it grew too busy, with one person wondering why no documentation was required. “I have to provide proof of my disabled status for the most basic of services such as rail travel or theatre tickets, why not ask people to provide documentation of disability here?” he was quoted in The Guardian.

For those near London who may want to make a last-minute attempt at viewing the Queen’s coffin while there is still time, there is, naturally, a digital Queue Tracker. The viewing will conclude at 6:40 am on Monday. See below, do the math, and pack lightly.