The Queen is currently lying in state in Westminster Hall, and many more mourners are joining the miles-long line to pay their respects to her.
After the monarch’s body was turned over to the country’s care on Wednesday afternoon, a long line had formed overnight for those who wanted to pass by it.
On Thursday at eight in the morning, the line had reached Borough Market and was around 2.6 miles long.
The Sovereign’s Bodyguard continues to provide round-the-clock security for the coffin, which is draped with a Royal Standard and placed atop a catafalque.
The Yeoman Warders or Household Division of the Tower of London.
Overnight, one of the guards appeared to suddenly collapse, and neighboring officials rushed to his aid.
Read Also: London will experience unprecedented travel demand for the queen’s farewell
As they poured into the historic hall, where chandeliers and spotlights lighted the scene beneath the medieval timber roof, the gathering, which was mostly dressed in black, was melancholy and reflective.
Read Also: King Charles III maintains his cool as he survives faux assassination in Australia
Many of the hundreds of commoners wiped their eyes with tissues as they walked by the casket of the long-reigning monarch.
Some simply paused to take in the magnificent scene while others bowed or curtsied.
Theresa May, a former prime minister, and her husband, Philip, were among those honoring the Queen at Westminster Hall.
People in line were handed colored and numbered wristbands while being managed by Metropolitan Police officers, volunteers, and stewards.
The King guided the royal family in a public act of respect on Wednesday afternoon by following the Queen’s casket during the procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall for the lying in state.
On Wednesday evening, Charles went back to his Highgrove house in Gloucestershire.
On Thursday, he was planning a personal day of introspection and wasn’t supposed to go to any open gatherings.
A day was set aside at this time for the future monarch to take a break from public obligations as part of the meticulous preparations for the Queen’s death known as London Bridge.
The time would allow the King to reflect, but it was known that he was already receiving his red boxes of official documents and trying to prepare for his new position.
The Prince and Princess of Wales would go to Sandringham to see the flower offerings that the public had left there.
Since the news of the Queen’s passing was confirmed last Thursday, thousands of people have paid their condolences at the Norfolk estate, with memorials amassing at the Norwich Gates to Sandringham House.
The Earl and Countess of Wessex would travel to Manchester and light a candle at the cathedral there in honor of the Queen.
They would also see the floral tributes in St. Ann’s Square and the Manchester Central Library’s book of condolences.
The Princess Royal would go to Glasgow City Chambers with her husband Sir Tim Laurence to meet with members of organizations that the Queen was a patron of.
King’s Counsel would participate in a wreath-laying somewhere else.
Senior lawyers have been requested to don robes and court mourning apparel. Senior lawyers are now referred to as KCs rather than QCs as a result of the King’s proclamation.
After that, they would congregate in front of the Old Bailey before proceeding to Gray’s Inn Chapel for the wedding.
