King Charles III and William, Prince of Wales made a surprise visit to greet mourners who are queueing to see Queen Elizabeth II lying-in-state at Westminster Hall.
Prince William shook hands and greeted people who have been queuing overnight to pay their respects to his grandmother. He told mourners, “Thank you it means an awful lot.”
King Charles III also shook hands with people, thanking them for waiting upwards of 20-hours to view his mother lying-in-state. In one video, his personal guard can be heard telling people to put their phones away and “enjoy the moment.”
The queue to see Queen Elizabeth’s coffin has become an event unto itself at it stretches for miles across central London, with people travelling into the city to see the Queen lying-in-state at Westminster Hall.
On Friday, the queue had to close to new entrants for a while as it crossed 5-miles and waiting hours between 22-24 hours. But not before David Beckham also surprised mourners and queued with them for hours for a chance to pay his respects to the Queen.
The Queen’s coffin will remain at Westminster Hall for people to visit until Monday morning, September 19th, when it will be carried in a process to Westminster Abbey for a state funeral.
This evening, Princes William and Harry will mount a vigil around their grandmother’s coffin along with her other grandchildren. The King and his siblings did so yesterday evening, in a ceremony called the vigil of the princes, although it notably included Princess Anne.