The Queen’s lying in state and funeral are some of the biggest UK events held in decades.
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to queue to see the former sovereign’s coffin as it lies in Westminster Hall — one of the oldest public buildings still standing in the UK.
There are fears that not everyone who starts queuing to get into Westminster will manage to see the monarch before her funeral on Monday (September 19).
But for those who are willing to risk it and brave the elements for hours, here are the details of how and where to join.
How and where to see Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin
The official queue to get into Westminster Hall starts from the Parliamentary estate and stretches back five-miles.
The line will back up to Southwark Park in the south east of London.
It will make its way along the Thames’ south bank, cross Lambeth Bridge and double back to the 14th century Westminster Hall.
The back of the queue will move depending on how many people have decided to join.
Those taking up their positions on Wednesday are likely to find it somewhere on the south bank of the River Thames, but it could be as far east as Southwark Park in Bermondsey.
To walk from Southwark Park to the Houses of Parliament, even if there was no queue, would take an hour meaning those that far back will have a long wait on their hands.
Live updates on the location of the back of the queue will be posted on Twitter at @DCMS.
A second shorter queue will run for disabled or vulnerable people, who can obtain a timed slot at the Tate Britain to enter the line.
What to expect from the queue
The lying in state officially opens at 5pm on Wednesday (September 14) and closes at 6.30am on Monday (September 19) before the royal funeral at 11am.
Mourners must keep moving and will get wristbands to buy food from 24-hour cafes, use portable loos or fill water bottles for free.
Downing Street has refused to rule out 17 to 35-hour waits.
Many people will have to queue overnight for a glimpse of the Royal Standard-draped coffin.
Reports have claimed only 350,000 people would be able to file past the Queen’s coffin before Monday morning, leaving hundreds of thousands disappointed.
When the Queen Mother lay in state in 2002, 200,000 people passed by over three days.
No10 denied there is an “upper cap” to see Queen Elizabeth, but the queue will close early to ensure those in line have the best chance to get to the front.
Tents and other fixed camping gear is banned. But people have been spotted with fold-out chairs to ease their comfort, with royalists queuing even before Westminster Hall was open.
Cafes and food stalls are being given special license to open 24-hours.
Meanwhile, Shakespeare’s Globe, the National Theatre, British Film Institute and Southbank Centre will open for “comfort breaks” overnight to those queuing nearby.
Luckily for those queueing, the weather is forecast to be mostly dry in Westminster over the coming days.
