King Charles, Prince William meet mammoth queue for queen’s coffin as wait stretches beyond 25 hours

The new monarch and the heir to the throne shook hands with mourners, thanked people in line to pay last respects to the late Queen Elizabeth

Some 435 people have required medical attention after waiting hours in the queue, which has extended beyond 25 hours

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Britain’s King Charles greets people, while they queue to pay their respects to Britain’s Queen Elizabeth following her death. Photo: Reuters

Published: 9:48pm, 17 Sep 2022Updated: 10:23pm, 17 Sep 2022

King Charles III and his oldest son Prince William were on Saturday greeted by cheers as they shook hands with people queuing for hours through London to see Queen Elizabeth’s coffin as it lies in state ahead of her funeral.

Cries of “God Save the King” came from the crowd as the new monarch and heir to the throne thanked members of the public before attention turns to the stream of world leaders arriving for the grand state send-off on Monday.

“I’m so happy. He was so calm, and friendly and he was so gentle,” said Geraldine Potts-Ahmad, a secretary in her late 50s, as she struggled to contain her emotions after shaking hands with Charles.

“He is going to make the best king. That gentleness and that tenderness, I saw the queen in that.”

Britain’s William, Prince of Wales (R) greets people in the queue to see Britain’s late Queen Elizabeth II lying in state on the South Bank in London on 17 September. Photo: EPA-EFE

The queen’s death on September 8 aged 96, after a record-breaking 70 years on the throne, has sparked an outpouring of emotion.

Members of the public are braving waits that have stretched to more than 25 hours, and chilly nighttime temperatures, to view her flag-shrouded coffin.

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