Mourners view the queen’s coffin lying in state
A surging tide of people – ranging from London retirees to former England soccer captain David Beckham – have lined up to file past Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin as it lies in state at Parliament – so many that authorities had to call a temporary halt Friday to more people joining the miles-long queue.
A surging tide of people – ranging from London retirees to former England soccer captain David Beckham – have lined up to file past Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin as it lies in state at Parliament – so many that authorities had to call a temporary halt Friday to more people joining the miles-long queue.
By late afternoon, a live tracker said the line to get into historic Westminster Hall had reopened, but the British government warned that it would take more than 24 hours of waiting to cover the five miles (eight kilometers) from the start of the line in Southwark Park to the coffin at Parliament.
The mourners kept silently streaming into Westminster Hall even as King Charles III and his three siblings stood vigil around the flag-draped coffin for 15 minutes on Friday evening. A baby’s cry was the only sound.
Those who came often bowed before the coffin or made a sign of the cross. Several veterans, their medals shining in the spotlights, offered sharp salutes. Some people wept.
Many hugged one another as they stepped away, proud to have spent hours in line to offer a tribute, even if it lasted only a few moments.
