Britain weeps for its Queen: 'Grateful' mourners pay tribute as they file past Her Majesty's coffin

14 September 2022, 17:20 | Updated: 15 September 2022, 05:42

Thousands of mourners have begun entering Westminster Hall to see the Queen lying in state.

Doors opened at 5pm, with members of the public seizing the opportunity to say a personal farewell ahead of the Queen's funeral on Monday.

Emotional visitors could be seen passing the monarch's coffin, with their heads bowed out of respect and many wiping tears away.

After people streamed down the wide staircase and past the coffin on both sides, several paused where the lanes rejoined.

Some bowed, some curtsied and some took a moment to look back at the extraordinary scene.

The black attire of most mourners added to the solemn, pensive mood.

Each corner of the coffin, which is adorned by the Royal Standard, will be guarded 24 hours a day by soldiers from units that serve the Royal Household, including the Grenadier Guards and Blues and Royals.

Read more: Her Majesty’s coffin to rest for four days as cries of ‘God Save the King’ ring out

Read more: Sombre Kate and Meghan mourn for the Queen as she begins lying in state in Parliament

People have travelled from far and wide to express their gratitude to the Queen - some making the special trip from a different country.

Joseph Arujo, 18, from Los Angeles, said he paid his respects to the Queen in Westminster Hall after travelling from the US to witness "this moment in history".

"We don't really know what's going to happen with the monarchy in the future and I think it's really important to be here and witness this moment in history," he said.

Amma, in her 50s, from south London, said she broke down in tears as she paid her respects to the Queen in Westminster Hall.

"I'm still shocked that our Queen has sadly passed on," she added.

"As I went closer to where her majesty was lying there, I did curtesy, I said thank you in my mind.

"I broke down in tears as I was walked away from her."

Dr Henry Mumbi, 55, who came to England in 1994 said: "I'm here to appreciate the hospitality and how kind the Queen was, because I'm from a Commonwealth country called Zambia, and I had an issue to do with my status in my own country, but when I came here, the doors were open and my case was sorted out.

"So I'm here to say thank you very much.

"I've been around here for 28 years now, which is more than half of my life. It's my second home."

Royal fans have been queuing for days in anticipation of the event, with the line snaking for miles along the Thames from Albert Embankment through to Southwark Park at maximum capacity.

It is able to stretch for 10 miles, but there is no guarantee that everyone who joins it will get to file past the coffin.

Just 20 minutes in, the queue was around 2.9 miles long, stretching as far as London Bridge, with it now thought to have surpassed three miles.

To help avoid disappointment, it is understood that entry to the back of the queue may be closed early, although it is too early to estimate when that moment might come.

Chorus greets coffin of Queen Elizabeth II as it is brought into Westminster Hall

Joyce Dawson, 54, from Middlesbrough, had never visited London before, but said she was "inspired" to travel down for the lying in state after seeing the first people in the queue on TV on Tuesday evening.

"I texted my daughter and said, 'We have to go to London tonight', so we're here," she said.

"It was a spur-of-the-moment thing."

Ms Dawson added: "It's just nice to be a part of this. It's exciting, I'm dead excited, I'm like a little kid."

Duncan Rasor, a former member of the Balmoral Guard who met the Queen while serving in Scotland, wore his military medals and Glengarry headdress as he queued.

The 48-year-old, who served in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, said he wanted to pay his respects "for everything that she's done".

He described spending time with the royal family as an "extraordinary privilege", and added: "Even though they are on holiday up in Balmoral, they are still working, and it just never stops.

"I think... something which is starting to become more apparent to people is quite how hard Her Majesty has worked for her entire life."

It comes after the Queen completed her final departure from Buckingham Palace on Wednesday afternoon, followed by King Charles, Prince Charles and Prince Harry and other members of the Royal Family.

Her coffin entered Westminster Hall as the Westminster Abbey choir and the choir of His Majesty’s Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace, sang Psalm 139.

An opening prayer was read by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Cries of "God save the King" could be heard as the King and the Queen Consort left Westminster Hall.

There are more than 1,000 volunteers, stewards, marshals and police officers on hand as people brave the wait on the banks of the Thames.

They include 779 professional stewards per shift, assisted by 100 civil service volunteer marshals, 40 adult scouts, and 30 members of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry charity, as well as Metropolitan Police officers.

A separate accessible route has also been organised, running from Tate Britain for people less able to wait for a long period of time, with timed entry slots issued for a line along Millbank to the Palace of Westminster.

No proof of disability will be required to use this route, with marshals on hand to make sure people are in the correct line and two British Sign Language interpreters to help.