The final person in line overnight to view the Queen’s casket described it as a “honor” and said it was a privilege to watch her lying in state.
The viewing of the Queen’s coffin, which had long lines of people waiting to see it, ended at 6.30 am after more than four days.
The funeral at Westminster Abbey will now begin at 11 a.m., after the coffin departs Westminster Hall just after 10:35 a.m.
Chrissy Heerey, a resident of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, was the last person in line. She lowered her head in silence like hundreds of others before her.
She first saw the Queen’s casket at 1.15am, but she later lined up again because she “felt I needed to go through again.”
I swore my allegiance to her, and as one of her subjects in the RAF, Ms. Heerey added, “I just feel extremely happy to be in the air force.”
“Amazing lady who will never be replaced,” she said of the Queen.
“I just felt really honored to be given the privilege to be able to go through again and obviously be the last person. I just felt very happy that I was there.”
She’s staying in London to witness the burial after spending 14 hours in line, and she predicted it would be a “long day but well worth it.”
Following Ms. Heerey, several members of the legislative staff left the room, with Black Rod, Sarah Clarke, appearing to wipe away a tear as she did so.
Some of those who came close to winning, however, were upset and claimed they had been given “false hope.”
After seven hours of waiting, Pauline Pearce complained that there was “continuous disinformation.”
We’ve all experienced anger today, she remarked. “We were moved about from place to place, hoping in vain that they may let us in.
“They initially stated that they would open the gates, but then they abruptly did not. The organizers showed absolutely no compassion.
Where the last wristbands will be distributed was unclear, according to Fiona Harper, who called it “ineptitude.”
The issue, she explained, was that everyone had been misled into thinking that you picked up your wristband at the end of the line.
We asked for wristbands for an hour and a half before we were told there were none left.
On Sunday morning, the line was cut off, and individuals were advised not to show up again. From Parliament, the route ran down the south bank of the Thames, through Tower Bridge, and ended in Southwark Park.
Over the past three days, wait times have varied, but at certain instances they have been projected to be greater than 24 hours.
Crowds have been present continuously since Wednesday evening’s beginning of the lying in state, however it is unclear how many people saw the Queen’s casket in total at this point.
Many people spoke of establishing friends with others in the line behind them, and former footballer David Beckham was one of those waiting in line to show his appreciation.
