People climbed up lampposts and on top of statues in a desperate attempt to catch a glimpse of the Queen's procession.
Queen Elizabeth II passed away at Balmoral in Scotland last Thursday at the age of 96. She was on the throne for more than 70 years and is the UK’s longest-reigning monarch.
On Tuesday, Her Majesty’s body was flown back to London and she spent the night at Buckingham Palace. On Wednesday afternoon, she was moved to the Palace of Westminster during a procession.
Police were forced to put up 8ft green gates and close off all of the roads surrounding the processional route on Wednesday morning due to the sheer number of people who arrived in central London.
Crowds were told by officers to watch the historic event on TV as all areas were full and they would not be able to see anything. However that didn’t stop hundreds of people from gathering near Westminster Bridge so they could hear the chimes of Big Ben.
Two males climbed up a lamppost and half a dozen people stood on top of a statue in an attempt to see over the green gates. Others peered through metal gates in the hope of being able to see something from a distance. Most of those in attendance resorted to simply listening to the procession from the other side of the gates.
When the procession arrived, there was a loud round of applause. The Queen’s coffin reached the Palace of Westminster ahead of a service presided over by King Charles III, attended by her family and delivered by The Most Revd Justin Welby Archbishop of Canterbury.
Wendy Thackray, from Dumpling Hall, Newcastle, travelled down to London on the train from Central Station to see the Queen’s procession. The 56-year-old is made the trip to the capital with her daughter-in-law Samantha, 30, and her grandchildren Joshua, seven, and Sophia, four. The children both planned to lay flowers for Queen Elizabeth II.
Wendy, who works as an on-board host for LNER, said: “I have always been a big fan of the Royals, I really respect them.
"We think it’s a really important thing. We’re going to see a part of history. It’s something that the kids will always be able to talk about in the future.
"We just feel as though we need to pay our respects. We feel as though we knew her, everybody knew her. She was somebody everybody had a part of.”
A huge amount of people chose not to watch the procession and queued instead to see the Queen lying-in-state. Her coffin will remain at Westminster Hall until her funeral on Monday.
The large number of people waiting meant there had to be two organised queues. Those in the first queue lined the bank of the River Thames until they were able to walk over Lambeth Bridge to the Palace of Westminster.
Many of them were prepared for a long wait. Some had camping chairs with them while others had brought snacks to see them through the day. Bottles of water and food items were being handed out to people who were waiting.
Jim Samsaslow, 74, from New York, USA, said he spent $3000 to travel to London so he could see the Queen lying-in-state. The retired college professor had a Union flag stuck in his a hat as he queued up along the riverside.
He said: "When I was a little boy we would see pictures of the Queen, who was then a beautiful young woman, and she was like a movie star to us. I always followed the events in her life. I wanted to come in person. She has been emotionally important to me since I was a child."
History students Sadie Hamilton, 21, and Katy Thomson, 20, both from Richmond, North Yorkshire, were also queuing to see the Queen lying-in-state.
Sadie, who had a bunch of flowers with her, said: "The Queen has been a huge part of our British identity and our lives growing up.
"Being history students, we are really interested in the history of the Royal Family in England. This is such an historic event. We are probably never going to see this again in our lives to his magnitude because she’s been on the throne that long.
"The Queen was a person and she is so loved and influential. It’s nice to be here for the historical event but also to remember her. She’s someone who gave a lot for his country. I think the least we can do is come here, give her a bit of our time and pay our respects in person."
Helen Paynter, 44, from Soho, London, was chatting with two other women who she had met while queuing. She said: “For me personally the Queen was an important person in my life. I feel she’s been a significant influence on the nation. I just wanted to pay my respects."
Later in the evening, the queues were quieter and people were able to walk along to the Palace of Westminster. Most of them had been waiting all day to pay their respects.
As it got dark, hundreds of people were still making the journey across London. They were prepared to wait it out so they they could say a final farewell to the Queen.
Preparations remain in place with the expectation it will be the same again tomorrow.
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