'Waiting 48 hours is okay': Life in line to see the Queen's coffin
A handful of die-hard Royalists gathered on the banks of the Thames today to secure a place at the front of the queue to view the Queen's coffin.
Officials expect tens of thousands of people to march through Westminster Hall to pay their respects to the late monarch, with queues lasting up to 35 hours.
At 2:30 p.m. today, The Mirror had 12 people in the queue, just over 24 hours before pretrials begin at 5 p.m. tomorrow.
An estimated 350,000 people will pass through in four and a half days, with some visitors at risk of being turned away if demand is too high.
Among them was historian Anita Atkinson, 65, who traveled to the capital from County Durham. She has her own museum dedicated to the royal family in the farm where she lives.
She told the Mirror that locals delivered flowers to her home when they learned of the monarch's passing.
"I didn't feel like I deserved them, so I brought them to the palace on Saturday," she said.
Anita, who has been lecturing on the monarchy for nearly half a century, said she spoke to the Queen briefly on several occasions after she waited in the streets during her visit to her area.< /p>
Picture:
The mirror)"Every time she came to the Northeast, I went to see her." she said.
"Being in her space was just electrifying, it's like some kind of goddess with an aura. Having her speak to you and only to you is an absolutely amazing experience."
Railway worker Sarah Langley, 55, joined the queue as soon as she finished work Monday evening and is due back on duty at 6:20 a.m. Thursday.
Speaking as the rain began to fall, she said: "It will pass. It's okay to wait 48 hours for someone who gave 70 years of their life for us. J waited in line for 11 o'clock to see the Queen Mother lying in state.
"My fiancé stayed until 5am before going to work, he will come back later with my phone charged, I don't even have a phone right now.
Picture:
The mirror)
A handful of die-hard Royalists gathered on the banks of the Thames today to secure a place at the front of the queue to view the Queen's coffin.
Officials expect tens of thousands of people to march through Westminster Hall to pay their respects to the late monarch, with queues lasting up to 35 hours.
At 2:30 p.m. today, The Mirror had 12 people in the queue, just over 24 hours before pretrials begin at 5 p.m. tomorrow.
An estimated 350,000 people will pass through in four and a half days, with some visitors at risk of being turned away if demand is too high.
Among them was historian Anita Atkinson, 65, who traveled to the capital from County Durham. She has her own museum dedicated to the royal family in the farm where she lives.
She told the Mirror that locals delivered flowers to her home when they learned of the monarch's passing.
"I didn't feel like I deserved them, so I brought them to the palace on Saturday," she said.
Anita, who has been lecturing on the monarchy for nearly half a century, said she spoke to the Queen briefly on several occasions after she waited in the streets during her visit to her area.< /p>
Picture:
The mirror)"Every time she came to the Northeast, I went to see her." she said.
"Being in her space was just electrifying, it's like some kind of goddess with an aura. Having her speak to you and only to you is an absolutely amazing experience."
Railway worker Sarah Langley, 55, joined the queue as soon as she finished work Monday evening and is due back on duty at 6:20 a.m. Thursday.
Speaking as the rain began to fall, she said: "It will pass. It's okay to wait 48 hours for someone who gave 70 years of their life for us. J waited in line for 11 o'clock to see the Queen Mother lying in state.
"My fiancé stayed until 5am before going to work, he will come back later with my phone charged, I don't even have a phone right now.
Picture:
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