Police have told royal superfans camped out on the Mall ahead of the Queen’s funeral to pack up their tents for “security reasons”.
Footage showed a policewoman telling the group: “I understand why you guys are here but obviously there’s loads of stuff going on, we can’t have tents here for security reasons and under regulations.
“So I’m going to have to ask you to pack everything up and take your tent down.
“It’s up to you where you go but if you do end up camping somewhere else, you’ll probably be asked the same thing again.”
She then says: “You can sit here, nobody’s going to stop you from sitting here, but you just can’t have a tent here.”
John Loughrey, 67, Maria Scott, 52 and Sky London, 62, told The Sun they had been there since Thursday and planned to stay for the 10-day mourning period.
Ms Scott, who travelled from Gateshead, said: “The three of us go to all these royal events together and we’re not afraid to sleep on the path to be in line to see the King.
“We’re very comfortable – we have a blow-up bed and food from nearby shops. It’s a small price to pay to be here.”
Mr Loughrey, from Streatham, south London, added that the trio would take it in turns to pay respects to the Queen’s coffin so they can keep their place on the Mall.
Despite the rain, eight people were already waiting at Lambeth Bridge near the Houses of Parliament, one of the locations where the Queen’s funeral procession will pass next week.
Monica Farag, 61, who is from the Philippines but has been living in England for 36 years, told The Independent: “I’m here to pay my last respects to the Queen. I really admired her – she worked really hard, she had integrity and was dignified.
“Also, this will give me a lifetime memory of knowing I was here and a part of history. The monarchy has a very rich history and we follow them in the Philippines even though we’re not part of the Commonwealth. I’m wishing King Charles all the very best in the world and he will make a good king.”
Delroy Morrison, 61, who was born in Jamaica and has lived in London since 1975, said: “I’m here to pay my last respect to my Queen, our Queen. It’s important for me to reach here early because I want to be at the front and one of the first to be there. It’s also a lot easier for me to come and sit down rather than doing a lot of standing later on.
“It’s the end of an era but also the start of a new era. The Queen will be sorely missed but she was getting older and we will get used to it as time goes by. At the moment, we’re still heartbroken but we carry on.”
The Queen’s coffin is being flown to London accompanied by Princess Anne on Tuesday afternoon. It will then be driven to Buckingham Palace, where prayers will be held on Wednesday.
The coffin will then be taken in a procession to Westminster Hall, where it will lie in state for four days, until the morning of the Queen’s funeral on Monday 19 September.
