Queen’s last funeral: First members of the public pay their respects as queue approaches 3 miles long

1663173361

Queen is in ‘overwhelming’ state

One of the first people to pay her respects to the Queen at Westminster Hall was Polly of Hertfordshire.

He told Sky News the experience of seeing the coffin was “overwhelming”.

“I knew what to expect, but yet it’s so serene and so beautiful, it’s overwhelming.

“It is truly an occasion to say goodbye to a queen we have all respected and cared for.”

Polly said it “came out quite emotional”.

“We will miss the Queen,” he said.

Getty Images 1663172907

what happened today

At 2.22pm, the Queen’s coffin was carried in a hearse from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall in the Palace of Westminster.

The king, his brothers, sons and other members of the royal family traveled behind the coffin in a 38-minute long procession.

A short prayer service was held in Westminster Hall as the Queen’s coffin was carried.

Members of the public began paying their respects at 5pm as the Queen lay in state. It will last until 6:30 a.m. on Monday, September 19.

Thousands of people line the Soutbank to see the Queen.

POOL/AFP via Getty Images1663171874

People pay their respects to the queen

Many nodded at the Queen’s coffin and bowed as it passed slowly and silently through Westminster Hall.

Some took off their hats and stood up, seizing the moment. Others were seen crying.

1663171628

The first people enter Westminster Hall

The first members of the public have entered Westminster Hall in the Houses of Parliament to pay their respects to the Queen.

They are the first of thousands who are waiting in a queue almost three miles long, which stretches along the Southbank to Tower Bridge.

The Queen will remain in state until 6.30am on Monday, the day of her state funeral.

1663169784

From the archives: Queue for King George V

A photograph has been released of the long queue of pilgrims at Westminster Hall to pay their respects to King George V.

The line was about two miles long in London on 2 January 1936.

AP1663169564

The queue stretches all the way to London Bridge

The queue to see the Queen lie in state has stretched 2.5 miles to London Bridge.

More than 4,000 people are waiting, many willing to wait all night to pay their respects.

In less than 30 minutes, people at the front of the queue will enter Westminster Hall.

PA1663169113

TfL faces biggest challenge in its history, says boss

Transport for London (TfL) is facing the “biggest event and challenge” in its history, says its boss Andy Byford.

More than a million people are expected to travel to London to pay their respects to the Queen.

More than 19,000 people started or finished journeys at Hyde Park Corner station on Tuesday, which was double the total on the same day last week.

Green Park has become a single departure station to avoid overcrowding.

Across the Tube network as a whole, TfL recorded 2.99 million journeys on Tuesday, up 8% on the previous week.

1663168553

Will everyone in line see the queen lying in state?

Thousands of people have taken their place in the Queen’s queue in the state as the public prepares to pay their last respects.

The line has the ability to run back 10 miles, with no guarantee that everyone who joins it will be able to walk past the coffin of the late monarch at Westminster Hall.

To avoid disappointment, it is understood that entry to the bottom of the queue may close early, although it is too early to estimate when that time may come.

Numbers will be controlled towards the end of the lying in state period, which must end before 6.30am on September 19, to ensure those already waiting can complete their visit.

Entry to the line will also be halted for a time if the queuing infrastructure, which stretches 6.9 miles from Victoria Tower Gardens to Southwark Park, with a further three miles within the park itself, reaches capacity.

There will be more than 1,000 volunteers, administrators, stewards and police on hand at any one time as people face the wait on the banks of the Thames.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *