Queen’s queue closes to new entrants as public urged not to try and join line
Queue to Westminster Hall has seen thousands of mourners wait through the night to say a personal farewell to Queen Elizabeth
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Your support makes all the difference.The queue to visit the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, resting on the catafalque in Westminster Hall, has finally been closed ahead of her State Funeral on Monday.
The Queen has been lying in state in London since Thursday evening, with huge queues of mourners snaking along the River Thames facing waits of 14 hours or more.
The queue was closed at 10.45pm on Sunday in anticipation of the ceremony that will see the late monarch transported from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey and finally to Windsor Castle.
Mourners had been given until 6.30am on Monday to reach the coffin, but were warned it could close earlier to ensure as many visitors as possible could enter the ancient hall before Her Majesty’s lying in state period came to an end.
Announcing the closure of the queue, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) tweeted: “The queue to attend Her Majesty The Queen’s Lying-in-State is at final capacity and is now closed to new entrants.
“Please do not attempt to join the queue Stewards will manage those already nearby Thank you for your understanding.”
After the last mourners reach the Queen’s coffin, the doors to Westminster Hall will close in preparation for the procession to Westminster Abbey, where the State Funeral service will take place.
As of 4pm on Sunday, the queuing time was at least ten hours long, the DCMS said earlier today.
It also urged people this morning to not set off to join the queue to “avoid disappointment.”
Rolling coverage of the queue filing into Westminster Hall has been broadcast by the likes of the BBC and Sky News.
A number of famous faces were seen in the meandering line waiting to pay their respects to the Queen ahead of her funeral.
David Beckham earned praise for his 12-hour-long stint in the public queue after first joining at 2am on Friday.
Meanwhile, some media representatives and MPs were able to bypass the queue and access Westminster Hall since its doors opened to the public on Wednesday.
On Sunday, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden visited Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin as part of his trip to pay his respects to the late monarch.
At 7.30pm on Friday, 16 September a vigil was mounted by King Charles III, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex as members of the public filed by.
The following day, Prince William lead a vigil by the coffin of his late grandmother alongside her other seven other grandchildren in Westminster Hall.
Transport for London (TfL) says it is preparing for around one million people to line the route in the British capital tomorrow, as millions watch the service around the world.
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