Scale of queue for the Queen: More than 250,000 mourners visited 'inspirational' monarch lying in state

20 September 2022, 08:54 | Updated: 20 September 2022, 09:42

More than 250,000 mourners saw the Queen lying in state, Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan has revealed.

It is the first approximate figure for the thousands of visitors who attended Westminster Hall.

Mourners queued from Wednesday through to the early hours of Monday to say their personal farewells to the late monarch, with the line snaking along the River Thames and reaching as far back as Southwark Park at its peak.

"We're crunching the final number but it's looking to be about 250,000 people who went through and accessed the lying in state and used that as an opportunity to say goodbye to somebody that was inspirational not just to us in the UK but across the globe.

"I haven’t got the exact figures on how many poured into the capital but of course it wasn't just the events in London this week.

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Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan on how many accessed lying-in-state

"We know that up and down the country there were a variety of different commemoration events – there were big screens up in many cities across the country and people mourned in their own individual way."

Among those visiting in the capital were familiar faces such as David Beckham, while others such as Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield faced backlash over accusations that they cut the queue to pay their respects.

If confirmed, the number is less than the turnout for the Queen's father, King George VI, which is thought to have been around 304,000.

However, the figures do not include those who paid their respects in St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh, where the Queen also lay in state after dying at Balmoral.

Ms Donelan said that no plans had yet been made for the coronation of the King, as she was pressed on whether the proceedings should be scaled down due to the cost-of-living crisis.

She told LBC: "We need to look at the plans on this and obviously the Palace and the King will have a great deal of input into this.

"We only just finished our period of national mourning, so we haven't done that yet, as you would expect. And of course, we will be considering everything, but we haven't made these decisions yet.

"We do want to give the nation a moment. When we look back at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth, it was a remarkable event where the country really came together.

"If you look back at the Jubilee, how much we did for that and how the country came together. And it can in many ways boost the economy as well.

"Rallying a community, bringing them together, is never a bad thing," the Culture Secretary said.

Wait times stretched to more than 24 hours over the weekend as crowds braved the cold weather to pay their respects.

Entry was even paused at times after the line reached full capacity.

Following the lie in state, the Queen was taken from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey for her state funeral.

She has since been buried alongside her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, in a private ceremony at Windsor Castle.

King Charles announced on September 9 - the day after the monarch's death - that the Royal Family would observe a period of mourning until seven days after the funeral.

They are not expected to carry out official engagements, and flags at royal residences will remain at half-mast during the period.