Public mourners wait in hours-long queue to view Queen Elizabeth’s coffin as she lies in state

The first members of the public, some in tears, filed past the coffin of Queen Elizabeth on Wednesday as it lay in state in the grand Westminster Hall in London. A queue 5km (three miles) long snaked through the British capital as mourners braved hours of waiting to pay their respects at the casket of the late monarch before her funeral on Monday. Many people stopped and bowed or curtsied towards the coffin. Others crossed themselves, or removed their hats. Some prayed towards the casket or wiped away tears with tissues. As Westminster Hall opened to the public, the queue was around a third of the capacity of the line, which can stretch to 16km (10 miles). Vanessa Nathakumaran, a 56-year-old administration assistant originally from Sri Lanka, was the first member of the public to file past the casket, having waited for more than 48 hours in the queue, which runs alongside the River Thames. Before the start of the public part, the lying-in-state began with a short Anglican service before black-clad members of parliament including Prime Minister Liz Truss filed past the coffin, bowing their heads. To the strains of a military band playing funeral marches, King Charles had earlier led his family in procession behind a horse-drawn gun carriage bearing the coffin, before it was placed on a platform guarded by soldiers inside the most historic part of parliament. The king, his siblings, and sons, princes William and Harry, walked at 75 steps a minute behind the gun carriage. Big Ben tolled out each minute as the casket – topped with the Imperial State Crown – passed in front of hushed crowds lining the route. Queen Elizabeth to lie in state. These are the first people in the line The grand procession through the flag-lined heart of London represented the latest step in 11 days of intricately choreographed national mourning that will culminate with the funeral on Monday of the UK’s longest-reigning monarch. The sight of the new king’s two grief-stricken sons inevitably evoked memories of 1997, when William and Harry, then aged just 15 and 12, walked, heads bowed, behind the coffin of their mother, princess Diana. But it comes with the once-close brothers now estranged, after Harry’s move to the United States. The public have been warned they will face an endurance test to see the queen’s coffin, with queues that could tail back several kilometres. Hundreds of people were already queuing at around 8.20am with those at the front having spent the night equipped with blankets, camping seats, a tents and rain ponchos. Waiting in line earlier in the day, Brian Flatman, 85, said there was “no way” he would pass up the chance to pay his respects having missed the queen’s 1953 coronation. “I was 16, we got there before midnight, Hyde Park Corner, superb position, but very quickly I became suddenly ill and had to crawl all the way to South London,” he recalled. “This time there is no way I can miss that. I will dedicate a few seconds there [by the coffin] to her life of dedication. What an example.” Thousands view Queen Elizabeth’s coffin in Edinburgh before return to London Strict rules and airport-style security measures have been put in place, with “far more” people expected than the 200,000 who filed past the coffin of the queen’s mother when she died in 2002, according to the government. Hotel rooms in the British capital are increasingly hard to find, with even budget rooms going for £300 (US$350) per night, while transport bosses and police are under pressure to keep the city moving and safe in exceptional circumstances. “It’s a massive challenge for the Metropolitan Police and for me personally, but we have been preparing for many, many years,” the newly appointed head of the London police force, Mark Rowley, told Sky News. The queen’s funeral will take place in Westminster Abbey, next to parliament, in front of 2,000 VIP guests, with the day declared a public holiday in Britain. Hundreds of heads of state and government, as well as global royalty, are expected, but Russia, Belarus, Myanmar have not been invited to send representatives. US President Joe Biden has confirmed he will attend, as will French President Emmanuel Macron and Japan’s Emperor Naruhito.