Visitors have now been warned to avoid the queue
(Picture: AFP via Getty Images)In the past few hours, the queue to see the Queen lying in state at Westminster Hall has reached capacity and has been paused for new joiners, the government has said.
The line stretches to Southwark Park and is now about five miles (8km) long.
“Southwark Park has reached capacity. Entry will be paused for at least 6 hours. We are sorry for any inconvenience. Please do not attempt to join the queue until it re-opens,” the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said.
The Queen is lying in state at Westminster until 6.30am on Monday, the day the funeral will take place.
Regular updates on the queue are being published on Twitter, and a live queue tracker is also available on YouTube.
And in maybe the most perfect example of Britishness there is now a queue for the queue. People took to Twitter to report that a second queue had begun, sparking jokes and memes.
More tweets followed, becoming more and more satirical. “The year is 2028. The queue now encompasses the entirety of South East England. Many no longer remember what they were queuing for in the first place,” Dr Phillip Lee said.
And there were references to the Crown, with one tweet suggesting queuers watch the show in the queue to pass the time.
Other queues for the queue have popped up too, like a queue for journalists to view the queue.
And it was reported that one woman was kind enough to let people into her home to use her toilet. Not all heroes wear capes.
And the jokes are still pouring in.
And of course, criticism about those who commit one of the biggest British crimes … queue jumping.
The DCMS will provide further updates about the queue later in the day. And no doubt more queues on queues can be expected as people attempt to pay their respects to the late Queen.
