The Royal Guard falls by the Queen’s coffin on the first night of the funeral
Members of the public gathered by the late Queen’s coffin to pay their respects after queuing for hours overnight as her funeral began at Westminster Hall.
The queue currently stretches 5.5 miles to Tower Bridge, with some mourners saying they waited nine hours to reach her coffin.
King Charles III is taking a day of rest and reflection today and is taking no part in any events. The new Prince and Princess of Wales will visit Sandrigham Estate in Norfolk to view flowers and gifts left by well-wishers.
The Earl and Countess of Wessex will travel to Manchester where they will light a candle in memory of the Queen at the cathedral.
Meanwhile, the Princess Royal, accompanied by her husband Sir Tim Lawrence, will visit Glasgow City Chambers to meet representatives of organizations of which the Queen has been a patron.
On Wednesday, King Charles III and the rest of the former monarch’s family marched in tribute behind her coffin as it was carried from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster.
Key points
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Watch: Guard rotation at the Palace of Westminster
The guard at the Queen’s casket changes every twenty minutes. The line of mourners is halted while the change takes place.
Holly Bancroft September 15, 2022 11:47 am
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What’s happening later today?
The Prince and Princess of Wales will view flowers and gifts left at Sandringham Manor in Norfolk.
King Charles is having a private day of reflection and is not expected to attend any events.
The Earl and Countess of Wessex will travel to Manchester where they will light a candle in memory of the Queen at the cathedral. They will also see flowers left in St Anne’s Square and the book of condolence at Manchester Central Library.
The Princess Royal, accompanied by her husband Sir Tim Lawrence, will visit Glasgow City Chambers to meet representatives of organizations of which the Queen has been a patron.
Holly Bancroft September 15, 2022 11:21 am
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The queue is currently 3.5 miles long, starting near Tower Bridge
The line to see the Queen is now 5.5 miles long.
The start of the queue is now near Tower Bridge.
(AFP via Getty Images)
(PA)
Holly Bancroft September 15, 2022 11:05 am
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Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral: What will happen on the day?
Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral: What will happen on the day?
Holly Bancroft September 15, 2022 11:01 am
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Watch: Former PM Theresa May queues to pay her respects outside the Queen’s coffin
Theresa May queues to honor Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin
Holly Bancroft September 15, 2022 10:37 am
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MPs can jump the queue to see the Queen’s coffin
People queuing to see the Queen’s coffin have condemned the special privileges MPs have to skip the queue.
MPs can skip the queue and bring up to four guests, the Daily Mail reported.
Julie Newman, 56, said the special treatment was an “abuse of privilege”.
“I don’t mind queuing because everyone queues. But there’s no excuse for queue jumping. Not fair.”
“For something like this, it’s not fair,” Dexter Bowles said.
(EPA)
Holly Bancroft September 15, 2022 10:22 am
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End of the queue now near Southwark Cathedral
The end of the queue to see the Queen’s coffin is at Southwark Cathedral, near London Bridge.
The line had grown slightly to nearly three miles by 9 a.m. Thursday morning.
In an update on social media, the Ministry of Culture, Media and Sport said the queue was 2.8 miles long. The weather forecast is cloudy and people heading into the queue can use What3words: frozen.angel.guitar to find the end.
Holly Bancroft September 15, 2022 09:41 am
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‘A lump came down my throat’: How does it feel to see the Queen’s coffin?
Among the first inside was Kenneth Taylor, 72, from Reading in central England, who came with a neighbor and stayed overnight in a tent in the queue.
Breaking down in tears, Taylor said that when he saw the Queen lying there, he felt sad. “A lump came down my throat.”
“You know, we lost someone special. Her service to this country was truly steadfast and steadfast. And she is probably what I would call the queen of queens.
Thomas Hughes, 20, who waited nearly 2pm with his brother, said finally seeing the coffin was overwhelming.
“You’re doing all this because you want to pay respect to this lady … and I think when you put yourself through that and then you get to the moment you’re waiting for, you’re just a little bit more emotional,” he said. “It’s a very powerful thing.”
Holly Bancroft September 15, 2022 9:37 am
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The funeral rehearsal took place in the middle of the night
At night, rehearsals were held for the Queen’s funeral.
Members of the military were pictured in Westminster at 2.45am on Thursday morning carrying a standing coffin.
(Getty Images)
(PA)
(Getty Images)
Holly Bancroft September 15, 2022 9:15 am
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Meet the people queuing to see the Queen’s coffin
Mavis Sibanda told my colleague Mariam Zakir-Hussein that she wanted to have “one last memory of the Queen” on such a historic day.
“I am from Zambia and so she has always been in my thoughts. I wanted to be a part of what was happening.”
Hilary Noble (left) and Mavis Sibanda (right) came down to see history in the making
(The Independent)
Patricia Vass from Devon said she was prepared to wait all night to see the Queen’s coffin.
The 64-year-old said: “My mum is a fervent monarchist and was very upset by the Queen’s death and I wanted to do this for her too.”
She was feeling very emotional after the Queen’s death and so she was willing to fall in line ‘as long as it took. Let it be all night, all night.”
Meanwhile, Tzu-Ching Hung, 22, arrived in London from Taiwan yesterday and wanted to take the opportunity to witness history while in the UK.
“It’s just amazing to see so many people coming to pay their respects to the Queen.”
While the crowd was mostly good-natured and welcoming, there were some classic queuing rules that soon became unpleasant.
Devon’s Patricia Vass is willing to queue as long as necessary, while Taiwan’s Tzu-Ching Hung
(The Independent)
Holly Bancroft September 15, 2022 08:51 am
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