The Royal Mint has been forced to make people 'queue' to use their website after it was swamped with visitors following the Queen 's death.
Thousands of users have attempted to log on to the national coinmaker's site since the passing of the late monarch on Thursday, forcing them to introduce a security measure designed to stop it from crashing.
A static welcome page is now on display upon logging on, inviting users to wait in an virtual queue as long as 35 users at times.
This is accompanied by a polite message informing visitors of a high volume of traffic.
The message reads: "Thank you for visiting our website. Following the incredibly sad news of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, we are currently experiencing a particularly high volume of traffic to our website.
"Please bear with us as we manage this. Queen Elizabeth II ruled with heart and devotion, and will be dearly missed by all of us at The Royal Mint and by millions of people around the world. The remarkable legacy-of Britain's longest serving monarch will live on for many years to come."
Although the wait time is relatively short at the moment, it is thought these have been as long as 15 minutes at peak times, as thousands of people scrambled to order coins displaying the Queen.
The uptick in traffic is understood to come mostly from people trying to get their hands on limited edition coins.
The Royal Mint, which was set up in its earliest form by King Alfred the Great in 800 AD, has expressed its condolences following the end of the Queen's 70-year reign.
Anne Jessopp, Chief Executive Officer at The Royal Mint, said: “On behalf of everyone at The Royal Mint, I would like to extend our heartfelt sympathy to The Royal Family at this extraordinarily sad time. Queen Elizabeth II ruled with heart and devotion, and will be dearly missed by all of us at The Royal Mint and by millions of people around the world.
“The Royal Mint worked with Her Late Majesty throughout her reign – detailing her journey from new Queen to respected head of state across five coin portraits, and ensuring each new UK coin received her personal seal of approval. The remarkable legacy of Britain’s longest serving monarch will live on for many years to come.”
