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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Nia Dalton

Prince William says the Queen 'would never believe' the queues - but would 'love it'

As King Charles III and Prince William greeted hundreds of members of the public that have lined the pavements at Lambeth Bridge to pay their last respects to the Queen, crowds could be heard chanting "God Save the King" and rupturing in applauds and three cheers.

"She would never believe it honesty, she would love it," William told a royal fan, sharing how his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, would have been amazed at the audience. Members of the crowd could be heard telling William how they'd travelled from Amsterdam and the Czech Republic, to which he replied expressing his shock and gratitude.

Members of the public had travelled from Amsterdam, Czech Republic and Peru (REUTERS)

One fan was clutching a giant Paddington Bear teddy and explained how she'd came from Peru to take it to the hall.

"Thank you so much for coming," he said, making sure to try and reach the waving hands at the back of the crowd.

William was overheard thanking people for waiting so long, and they were thanking him in return for brightening their day.

The Prince of Wales stopped to chat to people of all ages, shaking hands and crouching down to check on young children as they stood at the front of the barrier.

"It's a long way to go isn't it," he says, checking that a child had snacks and hadn't been too cold.

"I'm sorry about the wait," he said to another person. "You're over halfway now, you're doing really well."

Royal fans were heard chanting 'God Save the King' and cheering as he passed (REUTERS)

He listened to the stories of their travels, asked people where they had come from, then expressed his surprise at them queuing for so long.

Prince William joked with many of the people in the line about the weather, before adding: "Thank you so much for queueing, I've been praying for the weather to stay good."

He told others that he hoped they had made friends for life, and apologised for holding up the crowd by greeting them.

"William you'll make a fantastic King," a woman said, while another corrected her: "You'll make a fantastic Prince of Wales."

Dozens shouted "hip hip hooray" as Charles and William moved down the line, stopping for a few moments with each person.

Several people called their friends and relatives on the phone to tell them what they had just witnessed.

You can now buy Friday's historic Daily Mirror commemorating the death of the Queen here: mirror.co.uk/commemorative

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