Queen Elizabeth II's death has united the nation in grief and driven people to do remarkable and rather unfamiliar things. Tens of thousands of mourning royal fans have travelled across the country to queue in queues to see the Queen lying-in-state, wait hours to pass their personal condolences onto the Fab Four, and camp in tents for days outside Buckingham Palace to get a glimpse of Her Majesty's funeral.
Wales Online reporter, John Jones, decided to join mourners in waiting a very, very long time to come face-to-face with the new ruling monarch, King Charles III - an opportunity that doesn't come around often. John queued for 17 lengthy hours outside Cardiff Castle through the night, alongside 2,000 members of the public, to welcome Charles back to the capital city of Wales.
"Let me just state for the record, I'm no royalist, nor am I a staunch anti-monarchist. I'm largely indifferent to the Royal Family in most respects, but having watched Royal weddings and Jubilee celebrations, I'd always wondered if I was missing out on the Royal bug," John reported on Wales Online.
At around 10.30pm on Thursday night, John took to the castle, armed with a broken camping chair, sleeping bag, snack, fresh clothes and books to pass the time.
He didn't anticipate the scurrying dog-sized rats disturbing his sleep on the streets, nor the police officers chuckling at his lonesome mission through the night.
King Charles wasn't expected to arrive until 1.30pm the following day, but John admitted he'd "done stupider things before" and fully believed he could it with "no major issues".
"No sooner had I shut my eyes, than a figure stumbled into the camera platform I was sitting behind," he said.
"It was Tony. He'd had a few - 10 in fact - but make no mistake, he was here to see the King. He had big plans to clear up climate change, and he wanted Charles III to hear him out.
"He is a lovely bloke is Tony, and he's got an absolutely remarkable life story, which I heard a lot of over the next few hours.
"What I didn't expect to happen, however, was for us both to be lying on the tiny platform together just 20 minutes after we met, with my new mate curled up at my feet like a faithful hound.
"By this point, it was reaching 4.30am, and I was too tired to really acknowledge how bizarre it really was."
While the newfound friends took a 45-minute broken nap, three other people joined the queue - in front of them.
Five became 10, which soon became 20, and by 6am, there were tens of dozens of people lined up outside the castle, all patiently waiting for the same thing.
"Despite everyone at the front of the queue having an early start, the excitement was tangible," John said.
"Most were here not just to pass on their sympathies and thanks to the new King, but to witness a moment of history.
"The term 'once in a lifetime' was heard a lot amongst the crowds of Royal supporters young and old, with many feeling that it was their duty to attend."
Following a quick dash to the toilet and a change of clothes, John finally entered the castle at midday, "much to the relief of me, Tony - who by this point was wearing not one, but two ties - and the rest of the gang."
To his surprise, John made it to the front of the queue and neared the end of his "weird and wonderful journey" - though still had three unexpected hours hemmed against a rope fence with thousands of people pushing behind.
A total of 16 hours had passed, with now sore and blistered feet, but the King's entourage was finally approaching, and everyone keen to meet the man himself.
"At last, there he was. I knew this was my chance," John recalled. "As he approached, I stumbled over what to say to him, but in the end settled on: 'Your Majesty, can I just say, I've waited 15 hours to come here today.'
"I'd actually been there 17 hours in total, but my brain was completely fried at this point.
"It all hinged on his response. 'You shouldn't have!' he laughed. 'But I'm deeply touched."
And that was John's incredibly tiring mission finally complete.
Concluding, he said: "If I'd known that he thought I shouldn't have bothered before I set out on this incredibly tiring mission, I would never have done it.
"But, despite the sleep deprivation, aching feet and almost definite sunstroke, I'm really glad that I did."
Seeing people "united in a shared passion or belief was heartwarming" and a buzz John never expected.
"While I may feel like death as I write this, I will look back on this experience fondly. But God better save the King, because I don't fancy doing it again for a very, very long time," he finished.
You can now buy Friday's historic Daily Mirror commemorating the death of the Queen here: mirror.co.uk/commemorative
