大象传媒

The Queen is lying in state in Westminster Hall in the UK Parliament. Tens of thousands of people have been queuing to pay their final respects. The line has stretched several kilometres along the River Thames. We talk to some of the mourners who have been waiting overnight, sometimes in the rain, to have the opportunity to view the late monarch鈥檚 coffin.

We hear from three people who have met the Queen during her 70 years on the throne. Felicity, who was 17 at the time, and her dad found themselves unexpectedly face to face with the monarch during an event in 2007 and ended up in conversation. 鈥淚 suddenly realised the Queen was a couple of metres away,鈥� Felicity told us. 鈥淎nd you think is this really happening, am I actually being presented to the queen.鈥� Meanwhile, in the US state of Virginia, Kimberley was within touching distance thanks to a clever strategy she devised to get close to the Royals.

All week, listeners have been sending in their messages and we hear memories of the late Queen from the Commonwealth countries of Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

We also speak to two people in Canada 鈥� among the 14 countries of which the British Monarch is also head of state. They recall vivid experiences of seeing the Queen, give their reaction to her passing and share their thoughts for the future of the monarchy.

(Photo: Queen Elizabeth II attends an armed forces act of loyalty parade in the gardens of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, as they mark her platinum jubilee in Scotland 28/06/2022. Credit: Jane Barlow/PA Wire)