BBC viewers will be able to watch a live stream of the Queen lying in state. The broadcaster said it will allow people to pay their respects to the late monarch virtually.
People will be able to watch the dedicated live stream on iPlayer, the Red Button and the BBC News website and app. It will start broadcasting from 5pm on Wednesday.
It is hoped that people who are unable to travel to the capital to see the coffin in person will find solace in seeing it online. Up to 400,000 people are expected to brave a 12-hour wait on the banks of the Thames to catch a glimpse of the Queen’s coffin as she lies in state in Westminster Hall ahead of her funeral on Monday.
The doors of the hall will not open until 5pm on Wednesday, but by 8am today the line already stretched between Lambeth Bridge and Westminster Bridge. The Government was so worried about the numbers that it sent out lengthy guidance about what can be carried into the hall, bathroom facilities for queuers, and the risk of having to wait through the night.
It is thought the queue might reach four miles up the Thames to Southwark Park in Bermondsey before the public are admitted to the lying in state.
