Six of the weirdest things brands and councils are doing 'out of respect' for the Queen

Brands and councils have joined the world in mourning the devastating news that the Queen has died aged 96.

In an announcement that shook the world on September 8, Buckingham Palace said Elizabeth II had passed "peacefully" at her Balmoral home with family by her side.

Family members, celebrities and politicians led the heartfelt tributes, with new King Charles III paying homage to his "darling mama" in a statement to the nation.

He said her loss brought great sadness and a "sense of loss, beyond measure" before vowing "to serve you with loyalty, respect and love, as I have throughout my life."

Many events across the UK have been cancelled or postponed as a symbol of respect for the longest-reigning monarch. Brands have since turned to Twitter with their own sentiments that have left people with mixed feelings.

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1. Closing a bike rack

For instance, Norwich City Council closed a bike rack from 9 September to 21 to mark the "royal period of mourning".

While the sign has come as a surprise to some, there's a little more context...

One local explained: "It is outside a town hall where people are queuing to sign a book of condolence to the Queen and are laying flowers there, so they've shut one bike rack as people are queueing past it."

Another chimed in: "Can understand it for the royal proclamation, but not for 12 whole days."

2. Pausing work on a David Bowie NFT project

A launch of a new NFT project celebrating David Bowie, ‘Bowie On The Blockchain’, has also been halted until the mourning period is over.

"Thought this was a wind-up at first," one user shared, before adding: "Sadly, it’s not."

3. Closing Legoland

Legoland marked the Queen's passing by closing their resort and making a Lego version of the Queen– but some weren't pleased by the Lego statue.

"Small plastic brick modelling and play = disrespectful," one said, while another called it a "creepy faceless lego Queen."

4. Stopping tweets from Jimmy's Dildo Emporium

People were left scratching their heads from a sex toy shop sentiment to the Queen. They turned to Twitter to express their sadness and vowed to hold off tweeting from the account "for the next few days."

5. Cancelling a car free day

An event that encourages motorists to give up their cars for a day to enjoy streets free of motor traffic, has been postponed.

The "celebration" in Hammersmith has been set back – and roads will remain open for drivers.

"This is reaching the point where I'm afraid I can no more distinguish between what's parody and what's real," one user responded, while another reiterated: "Really???? This getting out of control!"

6. 'Stopping' football

Twitter users are trying their best to understand the logic behind this one after a football team cancelled their league game and replaced it with a friendly one. Same place, same time.

To make matters worse, the football team returned to the platform to announce that someone had "snitched" on them, and now the friendly match was also called off.

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