From BZ/dpa
Two days before Queen Elizabeth II was laid out in public in London, the first visitors had already arrived at the presumed start of the queue.
The 56-year-old Vanessa Nathakumaran was already waiting Monday afternoon at the Lambeth Bridge in the center of the British capital, as reported by the PA news agency. “I really, really want to be a part of this,” Nathakumaran said. “I don’t want to miss it.”
She fears that if the line is too long, it will become confusing for her. Her daughters should bring a change of clothes, warm clothes and food to the big monarchy fan.
So far it is not clear where exactly the queue should go. The authorities do not want to publish details until late Tuesday evening. Those waiting are not allowed to camp along the route. However, they should receive bracelets with a number so that they can leave the queue at any time.
Hundreds of thousands are expected to bid farewell to the Queen. The senior president of the House of Commons, Conservative MP Peter Bottomley, even expects two million people. The mourners should prepare to endure many hours on the kilometer-long waiting line.
The dead Queen is said to have been flown to London on Tuesday evening from Scotland, where she died on Thursday. After a night at Buckingham Palace, the coffin is then carried in a funeral procession for the new King Charles III. taken to Westminster Hall in Parliament.
Queen Elizabeth II died Thursday at Balmoral Castle, Scotland, aged 96 Photo: picture alliance / empics
From Wednesday evening (5 p.m. local time/6 p.m. CEST), mourners from the population can then file past the closed coffin. The laying-out ends in the morning of September 19 (7:30 a.m. CEST), the day of the state funeral.