Queue for queen’s coffin ‘paused’ as wait hits 14 hours

The flood of grief from the death of Queen Elizabeth II forced the British government to call a temporarily halt to people joining a miles-long line to file past her coffin as it lay in state Friday, hours before King Charles III and his siblings were to stand vigil in the historic Westminster Hall.

A live tracker of the queue said it was “at capacity” and entry was being “paused” for six hours as waiting times reached 14 hours and the line stretched 5 miles (8km) from Parliament to Southwark Park in south London and then around the park.

Helena Larsen, 76, arrived just too late at the park.

“We have literally got here and they have shut it in front of us,” she said, adding that she would likely wait in the area until the gates were reopened.

The monarch’s funeral was attended by an estimated 2,000 guests, including world leaders and heads of state, according to the BBC. After the state funeral, the coffin was taken to Windsor Castle, England for a committal service, and will be followed by a private family ceremony. The Queen, who died on September 8 at the age of 96, was buried alongside her late husband Prince Philip and her parents, King George VI and the Queen Mother.