Thousands of people are camping overnight near Buckingham Palace to see the Queen on her final journey.
Following Her Majesty’s death last Thursday, September 8, crowds have made the trip to London to pay their respects and mourn the late monarch. The ECHO spoke to some of those people who wanted to be in London ahead of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral on Monday.
Mum and daughter Shirley and Rebecca travelled from Shropshire to London and are camping overnight in St James’s Park on Sunday. All they brought is camping chairs and blankets and snacks.
Read more: Hundreds gather at Liverpool Cathedral to remember Queen Elizabeth II
Rebecca told the ECHO : “We’re going to Tesco’s, but have a few snacks. It was a bit of a ad hoc situation.”
Shirley described the Queen as wonderful and they said they wanted to be part of this moment in history. Simon Powell and his three friends travelled from Derby to be in London on Sunday. They have two tents they will be staying in St James’s Park.
Simon said: “All the things she has done over the 70 years, we wanted to come from Derby. She meant everything, the love of my life, she is.
“Everything she has done is amazing.” He added: “We have come here to pay our respects.”
Friend Lee Coles added: “She never judged anybody, never talked out of terms, was always happy.
“She never judges what religion you were, what colour and she was always nice and that smile.”
June, who did not want to give her surname, travelled from near Manchester. She had already queued for 14 hours to see the Queen lying in state and is now camping overnight in the park near Buckingham Palace to catch a glimpse of the procession.
She said: “It was a surreal moment [when she saw the coffin], you cannot explain it.”
Friends Mandy Ward and Cathy Ganner gave up their hotel room for the night so they could be in the atmosphere in St James’s Park and get a good spot.
Mandy said: “We just thought she was an incredible lady and she was with us all our lives and just thought she was absolutely amazing. It means a lot and we wanted to lay our respects.”
Cathy added: “She forms part of our identity. We don’t have much to be patriotic about in the UK, but the Royal Family is our own unique identity from the rest of the world. I am here to show support for the Monarchy.”
The former monarch's funeral will take place on Monday, September 19 from 11am at Westminster Abbey.
You can light a candle for Queen Elizabeth II here or leave a tribute to her here.
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