ITVPeople have begun queuing for the Queen’s lying in state in London more than 48 hours early.
The Queen’s coffin will be placed in Westminster Hall on the parliamentary estate from 5pm on Wednesday until the day of the funeral on Monday September 19.
Members of the public will be allowed to file past the coffin 24 hours a day during that time.
However, it has been predicted that as many as 750,000 people may wish to attend.
Queues are being estimated to last up to 12 hours, with people being told to expect a long wait.
There are already some barriers in place for the queue, with the route running from east to west along the south of the Thames.
Vanessa Nathakumaran, 56, from Harrow in London, was the first person to begin queuing.
Speaking to the PA News Agency, she explained that she started admiring the Royal Family during her childhood in Sri Lanka before moving to the UK in the 1980s.
Her great-uncle was knighted by King George VI and her daughter met the Queen as an air cadet.
“I’m really proud of our family being involved in the time of the Queen’s life,” she said.
Asked why she had arrived so early to queue, she said: “I really want to be part of it.”
She added of the Queen: “She has done a good service to our country.”
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