Queen Elizabeth II funeral: Ceremonial procession Wednesday: Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall
Members of the public have begun to file past the coffin and pay their respects to the dead monarch before her funeral on Monday September 19.
With nearly a week passing since the death of Queen Elizabeth II the next stage of the national mourning begins.
Her body had travelled down the country from her initial resting place at Balmoral Castle in Scotland to Buckingham Palace in England. Earlier on Wednesday a troop parade guided the coffin of the long-reigning monarch down The Mall, through Horse Guards Parade, across Whitehall and through to Westminster Hall.
Beginning at 6 p.m. GMT a gathering queue could file in to see Her Majesty. Huge queues are expected; the last time a royal was resting in state in the hall was the Queen Mother in 2002 and more than 200,000 people attended.
Some members of the public queued for more than 48 hours to catch a glimpse of Her Majesy’s coffin. Even with this wait they may be counted as the lucky ones. The current five-mile queue is expected to double in length and could 30 hours to traverse.
To facilitate some ease for the queue 500 portaloos have been installed on the route. Coloured and coded wristbands mean people can go off for food and refreshment without risk of losing their space in the queue. There is a live feed to monitor its length.
Guidelines for those in the queue state: “Stewards and police officers will patrol the queue. Antisocial or inappropriate behaviour (including queue-jumping, excessive consumption of alcohol or drunken behaviour) will not be tolerated and you will be removed from the queue.”
If there is one thing British people are known for it is queueing and this one in central London could prove to be the mother of all queues.
What is next in the build up to the funeral?
Elizabeth II’s body will lie in state, meaning remaining in the coffin at Westminster Hall, until her funeral on Monday September 19.
King Charles III will travel to Wales on Friday as the last leg of his trip around the four nations that make up the United Kingdom.
A minute silence will be held at 8 p.m. GMT across the UK on Sunday.
Finally, the Queen will have her funeral on Monday, a bank holiday or national holiday for those in the UK. At 10.44 a.m., the coffin will be taken from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey. The state funeral will begin at 11.00 a.m..