![]() When they reach Parliament, people will pass through airport-style security scans. Bring a portable power pack to keep phones charged. The government is offering other helpful hints: Bring food and drink, but be sure to consume it before reaching the front. Given the vagaries of British weather, people are advised to carry both an umbrella and sunscreen. Officials hope mourners’ sense of fairness will make the line largely self-policing. A separate accessible line has been set up for people unable to stand for long stretches.Īs ever in Britain, jumping the queue is a definite no-no. Those joining will be given numbered wristbands so they take food or toilet breaks without losing their place. People will be able to check the line’s length and waiting times on the Department for Digital, Culture Media and Sport's social media accounts. “You will need to stand for many hours, possibly overnight, with very little opportunity to sit down as the queue will be continuously moving,” it said in a set of detailed instructions for those wanting to come. The government has warned that navigating the line will be a feat of endurance. Transport for London Commissioner Andy Byford called it “the biggest event and challenge that TfL has faced in its history.” ![]() Transit operator Transport for London estimates that more than 1 million people will travel to the city center to be part of commemorations through Monday. Officials say they can’t predict how many people will line up to pay their respects at Westminster Hall, but it is likely to be many more than the 200,000 who visited the Queen Mother Elizabeth’s coffin over three days in 2002. The designated route stretches for 6.9 miles (11 kilometers) past the National Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe, the Tate Modern art gallery and Tower Bridge to Southwark Park in south London, which can accommodate another 3 miles (4.8 km) of zigzagging queues. Two hours before opening time, the line of mourners already stretched for 2 miles (3.2 km) from Parliament across nearby Lambeth Bridge and snaked along the south bank of the River Thames. (0530 GMT) Monday, the day of her funeral. On Wednesday, the queen’s coffin was carried in a solemn procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, where it will lie in state from 5 p.m. A pair of sign language interpreters also were expected to be on hand. Thirty multi-faith pastors and volunteers from a suicide prevention organization have been tasked with responding to the emotional needs of anyone who might be struggling. Hundreds of stewards, police officers and first-aid providers were assigned to look after the waiting crowds. It features 10 miles (16 kilometers) of “queuing infrastructure,” including moveable barriers and more than 500 portable toilets along a route leading to Parliament's Westminster Hall, where the coffin will rest. Marshaling the hundreds of thousands of people who want to view the late monarch’s coffin will test Britain’s famous queuing skills to their limit.Īuthorities overseeing the mammoth logistical challenge have consulted queue management experts and behavioral scientists to create not so much a line as a temporary community. LONDON - Queen Elizabeth II’s lying-in-state will be an occasion of regal symbolism, strong emotion - and an extremely long line.
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