A group of royal fans cheered with excitement live on This Morning as they were given the first wristbands.
Some of them had been queueing since yesterday for a chance to see the late monarch Queen Elizabeth II lying in state in Westminster. It is believed that hundreds of thousands of mourners will descend on London for the four-and-a-half day vigil.
The vigil begins at 5pm this evening, but eager royal fans have already got in the queue and are awaiting it to open later so they can pay their respects to the Queen. The monarch passed away last week at her home of Balmoral in Scotland.
On This Morning today, presenter Alice Beer joined a number of royal fans in the queue and they shared their excitement as they were given their yellow wristbands with numbers on. The wristbands will allow them to leave the queue to get food or use the bathroom, before they can return to their position ahead of the queue opening.
One fan said she had to come down and celebrate the Queen's long reign, insisting she wanted to pay respects to the monarch for her dedicated 70 years of service as the monarch of the UK and the wider Commonwealth.
Alice also spoke to a 14-year-old teenager who had joined the queue as his mum was a big royal fan.
The people in the queue shared their excitement at finally being given their wristbands ahead of the queue beginning to file through from 5pm this evening. It will be open 24 hours today until the morning of the Queen's funeral on Monday.
Ministers are fearing the queue could stretch five miles and people would need to wait '30 hours' to be able to see the Queen.
Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan warned Tory MPs of the huge number of mourners, telling her fellow ministers in a WhatsApp group: "Queues could be up to 30 hours as we are obviously expecting and planning for unprecedented demand."
Vanessa Nathakumaran, 56, was first in line to queue up close to Lambeth Bridge, as she felt it was "her duty".
"I was taking a walk I asked them what they were setting up for, I felt a strange sense of feeling overwhelmed, but I knew I must do my duty," she told the Mirror, "It is very emotional to know that she passed on, she’s done a great service.
"My grand uncle was knighted by King George V, and was invited to his coronation. He was the speaker of the Parliament in Sri Lanka. My daughter was selected to be the Guard of Honour during the Golden Jubilee. She was also lucky to meet Prince William too. I feel like my family has ties with the Royals, who are so kind. I owe it to them to queue and pay my respects."
