'Kick in the pit of the stomach': Queen staff furious over 'celebrity bonus' on coffin

Created: 09/22/2022, 18:35

By: Annemarie Goebbel

Queen Elizabeth II staff are furious that celebrities and MPs have been let in line to see the coffin before the funeral.

London – Since Wednesday, crowds of people have been patiently waiting hour after hour in endless queues to personally bid farewell to Queen Elizabeth II (96, † 2022), who was laid out in Westminster Hall.

Many loyal members of the royal family did not have the opportunity to do so, although some of them had traveled from the Queen's country houses in Norfolk or Scotland.

Employees complain that MPs and celebrities were allowed to enter

It was a

.

Ex-footballer David Beckham earned sympathy points because he queued with thousands of others to see Queen Elizabeth II's coffin (photomontage).

© Elena Giuliano/dpa & Yui Mok/dpa

However, royal sources said the more than 1,200 royal staff who worked for the Queen and continued to serve after her death appreciated the opportunity to pay their respects.

The House of Commons issued a statement giving priority to the public: "It is not possible to open further access [to staff] without risking access to citizens waiting in line being compromised.

Prominent Brits such as David Beckham easily joined the line-up

That leaves a bad aftertaste, since stars like former soccer player David Beckham (47) easily queued for twelve hours.

Considering that many of the Queen's employees are now threatened with layoffs, royal fans should have been allowed to pay their last respects.

The sighting of ITV presenters Holly Willoughby (41) and Phillip Schofield (60) in the Queen's mortuary also caused displeasure.

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The unrest only subsided when it turned out that the two had not participated privately, despite wearing black clothes and gloomy faces, but were present for reporting with official accreditation.

"They didn't queue up, didn't have VIP access and didn't walk past the Queen, but were there in a professional capacity as part of the world press to cover the event," the BBC said.

The waiting period ended without major incident and the Queen's coffin was taken from Parliament to Westminster Abbey as scheduled.

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