James Blunt was one of the many citizens of England who flocked to central London to pay his respects to Queen Elizabeth II before her casket was moved to Westminster Abbey for the monarch’s funeral proceedings. After reports and photos surfaced of him waiting in line — which has been reported to stretch as far as five miles long and take as long as 24 hours to reach the front — the singer jokingly said he was offered a chance to skip the line.
“Offered to sing, and am now being ushered to the front,” he tweeted Sunday (Sept. 18), resharing one headline that stated he was reportedly in line.
The “You’re Beautiful” singer was spotted waiting alongside his wife Sofia Wellesley. The artist does have a special relationship with the British royals that predates his singing career.
Before rising to fame with his signature 2006 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit, Blunt worked as a reconnaissance officer in the Life Guards regiment of the British Army. He took part in the official funeral proceedings when the Queen Mother was lying in state in 2002. Blunt also attended Prince Harry’s wedding to Meghan Markle in 2018.
The queue to pay respects to Queen Elizabeth included a swath of celebrity faces, including David Beckham — who waited in line for more than 12 hours — Sharon Osbourne, Tilda Swinton, and more.
See Blunt in line waiting to pay his respects to the late queen here, and his tweet joking about offering to sing below.
