Queen's funeral: The NI people up close in London on historic day

Thousands gathered in Hyde Park to watch the Queen's funeral

Before the Queen's funeral began, Hilary Lewis, from Whiteabbey, County Antrim, had a lot of time to think.

She was in her seat among invited mourners at Westminster Abbey at 08:15 BST on Monday, with almost three hours until the funeral procession would arrive from Westminster Hall.

"It just kept going through my head: 'Why me? Why am I sitting here?' It was unbelievable, I couldn't take it in. I just felt so privileged."

The Saturday after the Queen died, Hilary - a volunteer with the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) who was awarded an MBE in June - received a call from the Cabinet Office.

She would be among the 2,000 people invited to attend the funeral.

In Westminster Abbey on this historic day, she thought about the impact the Queen had had.

"I just sat and thought about the Queen and all that she had done in her life.

"How gracious a lady she was and how she really lived out her faith in everything she did.

"She was humble, compassionate, gentle, kind. She was just a lovely lady and a great example to us all."

Hilary travelled from Northern Ireland with her husband Gordon. She said the atmosphere at the funeral was "very reverent and very emotional".

"Seeing the family and the grief etched on their faces… that being public and everybody seeing the emotion, there was no denying it. And the children were impeccable, Charlotte and George, they conducted themselves impeccably for being so young.

"But I could have just reached out my hand and touched them, I was that close."

Olga Lynch watched the funeral in Hyde Park her children Oscar, Victoria and Matthew

As the Queen's coffin was being brought into Westminster Abbey, thousands in Hyde Park, watching on big screens, fell silent.

Then, when those inside Westminster Abbey stood for the beginning of the service, so too did those in the park - slowly at first, a few here and there near the front at the screens and then gradually more and more, until everyone was on their feet.

"I got goosebumps there," said Olga Lynch, from Finaghy in south Belfast.

She is in London with her sons, Matthew and Oscar Scott, and daughter, Victoria Scott.

For Olga and her family, there was no question of not being in London.

"I didn't want to just sit in Belfast, I wanted to see it, to say goodbye and be a part of it."

Her daughter, Victoria, agreed. The design engineer had recently started a new job but knew she "had to be here and would figure it out".

For her, the Queen was an inspiration as a "female in power".

"Everyone looks up to her so it's really positive for us to have a role model like that."

The family had queued to see the Queen lying-in-state after they arrived in London at the weekend.

"It's mostly over quite fast, you're in you're out. But when you come out, you feel like it's something you'll carry with you," said Victoria.

She adds: "I've been in London before a lot and people don't talk to each other, but in the queue people were talking, clapping, supporting each other. It's like a Northern Ireland vibe. It's brought people together. I hope that feeling stays after today is over."

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Matthew says it's been "a surreal, monumental moment".

"It's something to be a part of history. They'll be looking back on this forever."

And Olga isn't surprised at the numbers present in Hyde Park to watch the funeral together.

"It's hard to explain what she meant to people, it's that constant presence, she's always been there. Even politically, she built bridges, she helped show people in Northern Ireland that there should be peace and friendship, not bickering."

'Watershed moment'

Not far away, in front of another of Hyde Park's screens, are Nicola and Stuart Hughes from Lisburn. They had spoken to BBC News NI on Sunday, after spending Saturday waiting to see the Queen lying-in-state.

Nicola and Stuart Hughes opted for Hyde Park after a long weekend, which included a 12-hour wait to see the Queen lying-in-state

"We just knew it would be very busy in the other places where people would be going, so we thought if we came here we'll definitely at least get to see the funeral itself," said Nicola.

Stuart, an Ulster Unionist Party councillor, added: "With any death, in any family, the funeral is the moment it probably sinks in.

"So today it really is the watershed change moment, where one generation ends and another begins."

For him, the sense of togetherness in Hyde Park is important.

"With a lot of things that's happened over the past few years, we've seen that togetherness can help people in moments like this.

"I think, as a nation, any nation, wants to come together in moments of grief and be with each other and support each other."

Lesley Magee said the atmosphere at Parliament Square after the funeral was amazing

For those who wanted to be at Westminster to catch a glimpse of the funeral procession, you needed to be out of bed early - or not have gone to bed at all.

Lesley Magee was in place from 04:00 BST to get her spot along the barriers and it was "totally worth it".

"I've done a few of these royal things now and I'm getting older, so I need a wee bit more stamina to push on through," she said.

"But I think once we got through from 4am to 7-ish, and everybody was talking to everybody else, I wasn't feeling too bad, especially on this historic occasion."

Lesley, a musician and composer who travelled over with her sister Linda, described the day as a "bit surreal", with people vying for the best viewing spots early on.

But she said the procession after the service was especially amazing.

"There was silence, culminating in the singing of the national anthem - the new national anthem if you like. The introduction by the trumpeters was something else for me, I did record that on my phone. Absolutely splendid. Just a fantastic thing to witness and I'm glad I got to see a part of history."

Afterwards, Lesley headed to Green Park to lay a floral tribute she'd taken over on the plane on behalf of a friend.

"Once I got back to the hotel room, it really sunk in," said Hilary.

"I really have been here today, I have witnessed this, this is absolutely amazing. And what stories I have to tell my grandchildren when I come home."

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