The last mourners to be given wristbands to see the Queen lying in state have said that they cannot believe their luck.
Christine Rogers and her daughter Sarah travelled almost 100 miles from Ipswich to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II, but almost missed out after taking a wrong turn.
The queue was shut at 10.41pm on Sunday night, with the last members of the public needing to file through Westminster Hall by 6.30am ahead of the late monarch's state funeral on Monday.
Christine and Sarah received the last pair of wristbands, with another half a mile's worth of gatherers sent away disappointed.
The Sun reported Christine, 62, as saying: "We decided on Tuesday to come down and see what was happening. We put the effort in because it does mean a lot to come and see the Queen.
“We went the wrong way at first but eventually we found the queue. I can’t believe we’re the last people through, I wouldn’t have dreamt of it.”
Christine's 29-year-old daughter Sarah described the Queen as a “constant” in her life and said they felt as though they “needed to come and say goodbye”.
Onlookers clapped as the pair were given the final wristbands.
Officials had asked people to no longer travel to join the queue on Sunday morning as it neared capacity.
The accessible queue had already been closed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport after all of the available places were filled.
That closure came after the general queue had reached a wait time of 25 hours, prompting officials to temporarily prevent any newcomers joining the queue.
Those waiting in line were bracing for cold temperatures, which dipped as low as seven degrees Celsius.
Project manager Tatie Kirst, a 38-year-old who joined the queue yesterday, said in The Sun: "I think I'm prepared, I brought my good coat, I have a stool if I need to sit, I'm getting food and water, and we're going to walk the way.
"I think there is always a question, 'is it worth it? Can I make it?' And hopefully, yes. I wanted to be part of this, pay my respect to the Queen."
