The Queen came to UEA yesterday and it was a massive anti-climax

The Queen is a big deal, regardless of whether you are a total Royalist, or believe the monarchy should be overthrown. So when the opportunity arises to see the world’s longest reigning monarch at your university, it’s not something that you can really pass up; especially considering her ripe old age of 90.

So very British

With this being her first public engagement of 2017, and her first appearance since her spout of ill-heath during the Christmas period, there was obviously a large buzz surrounding the occasion. The University had been promoting it through regular emails to staff and students and posts on their social media accounts, which obviously let people know the plans for the day and created excitement surrounding the occasion.

However, there was a definite division in students’ reactions to the visit. Many were thrilled, but there were also quite a few people who were completely appalled by the thought of Lizzy going to see an exhibit and were going to protest the event.

Following these rumours, Amy Rust, Campaigns and Democracy Officer here at UEA stated “we want to make sure all students – whether using as a platform or spectating – are safe and enjoy the event.” Despite the fuss surrounding protestors, all that could be seen was a crowd of flag-wavers and photo-takers the length of campus with not a single protestor in sight.

Despite the huge turnout, the actual event was pretty anti-climactic. After turning up early to queue (so British) and then waiting in the cold for over an hour to secure a good position right at the front of the crowd and directly in front of the entrance to the Sainsbury’s Centre, we thought that we had the best spot available and would surely get to see Lizzy’s little face.

The first sign that something was happening was when Fijian warriors emerged from the Sainsbury’s Centre, with two playing a drum-like instrument in the background, and two waiting to greet Her Royal Highness.

This went on for about 5 minutes before we saw the Royal carriage pull up.

Sick wheels bruh

Lizzy went for pink today

The Queen stepped out, gave a nice little smile to the photographers and reporters to her right and made her way into the exhibition.

That was it.

After waiting in the cold for a further 20 or so minutes, a journalist informed the crowd that the Queen would be leaving through a different exit, however by the time this message was conveyed, Liz had already done a runner.

Despite the anti-climactic nature, it was a cool experience. The atmosphere surrounding the whole event was one filled with excitement and happiness, and in the current situation more of that is probably needed.