London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jun 23, 2025

People urged not to join Queen queue with waiting times hitting 24 hours this morning

People have been urged not to join the queue to see the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II on Saturday, with waiting times hitting 24 hours at one point.
Tens of thousands of mourners have spent huge amounts of time queuing to see the late monarch as she lies in state at Westminister Hall in London.

At 1:00 a.m. on Saturday, the UK Department for Culture tweeted: "Please do not travel", saying it would pause entry to the queue if demand became too high. New people were prevented from joining the line the previous day.

The vast line has varied in size since the Hall was opened to the public on Thursday. It currently stretches around eight kilometers from Westminster to Southwark Park in south London.

As of Saturday afternoon, those wishing to see the late monarch faced an estimated waiting time of 14 hours. Those on Albert Embankment had a surprise visit from the King and Prince William.

In Southwark Park, some 2,000 people were joining the queue every hour. It is not known how many are in the queue in total or how many people have filed past the Queen. Estimates before the lying-in-state began put the number at 350,000.

The lying-in-state ends at 6:30 a.m. on Monday, but the queue will close to newcomers before then, though it is not yet known exactly when.

Euronews spoke to one family who spent nine hours driving and queuing to pay their respects to the Queen on Thursday.

Debbie Tibbert, 58, along with her husband, son and a German exchange student who is currently staying with their family, said there was a sense of camaraderie and jovial atmosphere in the crowds.

They set off from Wiltshire, southwest England, at 4:00 a.m. on Thursday, driving three and a half hours to reach cloudy London.

After queuing for five and a half hours, which she said "was not too bad at all," Tibbert finally got the chance to "pay her respects", solemnly filing past Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall — the oldest part of the House of Commons.

"She [the Queen] was one special lady that we want to say thank you to," said Tibbert, adding that she had "always loved" the Royal Family and came from a line of Royalists.

In the long, winding queue Tibbert said everyone was "very chatty" and "together," however as they climbed the steps into the Hall a "dignified" silence descended.

"It was really, really beautiful," she said. "None of us knew her personally, but it feels like a personal loss. She [the Queen] has always been there in our lives, serving us, dedicating her life to us, and it is really hard to not see her around anymore."

"My son said to me it feels like the world has lost a mother."

Speaking to Euronews in the car on her way back from London, Tibbert said the whole family were very tired now and looking forward to "putting their feet up".

The volume of mourners was so large come Thursday morning that the UK government launched a live online queue tracker on Youtube, which displays waiting times and the location of the queue.

Others went to view the spectacle of the queue, something not seen in London's recent history.

"It was quite nice," said Kit Heren, a senior reporter at Southwark News, who mingled with the crowds in Bermondsey earlier Saturday. "Everyone seemed really friendly and happy to be there."

"It wasn't like a mournful atmosphere as you might think, it was kind of jolly," he added.

While the demographic was more skewed towards older people, Heren told Euronews many younger people had also turned out to pay their respects to the monarch, helping "bring a sense of community".

The Queen's funeral has become a "national event," continued Heren. "There is a sense among people that they are participating in something that is once in a three or four generation event."

"People want to look back and say I was there," he added.

The event has been well-managed so far, with several hundred stewards on hand to manage the crowds and ensure no one pushes in.

Some stewards were reportedly facing very long working hours, starting at 6:30 and ending at 19:00 that same evening, though some of those on site were in high spirits.

Tibbert said she was "hopeful" for the new monarch, King Charles III. "I think he's going to be really good," she said. "Well, hopefully, he's been waiting in the wings for a long time."

Born in 1948, King Charles, the Queen's eldest son, was the UK's longest-ever king-in-waiting, looking at the throne for decades before he could finally ascend onto it.

Buckingham Palace released details of plans for the Queen's funeral on Monday.

It will be the first state funeral held in the UK since the death of former Prime Minister and wartime leader Winston Churchill in 1965.

Royalty and heads of state from around the world are expected to be among the 2,000 people attending the Westminster Abbey funeral service on Monday.

A smaller burial service is planned for later that day at Windsor Castle.

Queen Elizabeth II died on Sept. 8 at Balmoral aged 96. She was the longest-serving monarch in UK history, reigning for 70 years.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
UK Home Secretary Apologizes Over Child Grooming Failures
×