The line to see Queen Elizabeth II lying in state in Westminster Hall reached five miles on Friday — leading the British government to turn away visitors for around six hours.
Driving the news: The estimated wait time for people at the back of the line, referred to in Britain as the lying-in-state queue, was about 14 hours as of Friday morning, per the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
- "Southwark Park has reached capacity. Entry will be paused for at least 6 hours. We are sorry for any inconvenience," the department wrote on Twitter at around 10 a.m. local time.
- The line reopened at around 5 p.m. London time and the estimated wait time jumped to 24 hours.
- "The queue may be paused again if it reaches capacity," the department tweeted, noting that "overnight temperatures will be cold."
- Temporary bathrooms and drinking stations were set up along the route, the New York Times reported.
What they're saying: English soccer star David Beckham told Sky News that he waited in line for 13 hours to pay his respects.
- "So this day was always going to be difficult, and it's difficult for the nation, it's difficult for everyone around the world, because I think everyone is feeling it, and our thoughts are with the family and obviously with everybody here today," he said.
- The queen's coffin was put on display on Wednesday evening, per the Times.
In photos
Photo: Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Spectators on The Mall wait to see the Queen's ceremonial procession. Photo: Tom Jenkins - Pool/Getty Images
People sit in their tent as they join the queue. Photo: Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Photo: Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Go deeper: What's next for King Charles III and the Commonwealth countries
