The accessible queue to see Queen Elizabeth II lying in state at Westminster Hall has been permanently closed, it has been announced. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) tweeted the news on Saturday (September 17) at 4.33pm.
It said that wristbands for all remaining time slots have been allocated so that "as many people as possible" can pay their respects. Westminster Hall is open for people to view the Queen's coffin until 6.30am on Monday (September 19).
Then she will be removed for her funeral at Westminster Abbey. Mourners have been able to file past the coffin since Wednesday.
DCMS tweeted: "The accessible queue for Lying-in-State has reached full capacity and is now permanently closed. Wristbands for all time slots are allocated so that as many people as possible can pay their respects.
"Please do not join the queue at Tate Britain. Thank you for your understanding."
Earlier in the week, the DCMS had published details of the accessible queue on its website, saying: "An accessible queue will be open to people who have specific accessibility requirements or who are unable to stand for long periods of time. The scheme will enable people with specific needs to be admitted in the next available entry slot for the Lying-in-State."
It said that capacity for each time slot was capped. There has been no word about whether the general queue is to be closed shortly.
The official DCMS tracker of the general queue says that the current waiting time is 12.5 hours. This means people joining the queue at approximately 6pm tonight will reach the coffin at 6.30am on Sunday.
