Wednesday 14 September 2022 12:17 AM Calls grow for monarch's final journey to Windsor to be extended trends now
Millions could miss out on paying their final respects to the Queen, it was warned last night.
From today mourners will be able to bid farewell to the monarch as she lies in state at Westminster Hall until her funeral on Monday.
But they face having to join a line snaking back up to five miles – and could have to queue for as long as 35 hours.
Up to a million people are expected to seek to pay their respects to her coffin in central London.
But officials estimate that at most 400,000 will be able to do so – meaning more than half could be turned away disappointed.
There were calls yesterday to lengthen the Queen's final journey to her resting place at Windsor Castle to maximise the number of people who can line the route.
Up to a million people are expected to seek to pay their respects to her coffin in central London. The Queen's coffin is pictured above leaving RAF Northolt, west London on the way to Buckingham Palace
Whitehall officials said plans were in place to fast-track vulnerable people in the queue for the lying-in-state and ensure as many people as possible get a chance to say goodbye.
But experts including a former Downing Street adviser warned making people wait overnight – especially the elderly – risked doing them harm.
Yesterday a 75-year-old grandfather in the queue was the first to buckle.
The arrangements for marking the monarch's death have come under intense scrutiny, with millions expected to flock to London in the coming days. Last night the Queen was returned from Edinburgh to London by the RAF.
But the decision to cancel proposals to transport her coffin by the Royal Train meant far fewer people could witness the spectacle.
The Government last night published details for people wanting to file past the Queen's coffin at Westminster Hall in the Palace of Westminster.
Her lying-in-state begins at 5pm today and lasts four-and-a-half days until her state funeral on Monday. It will be open 24 hours a day
Ministers have warned the queue, stretching along the Thames, could last between 17 and 35 hours, with little opportunity to sit down or sleep.
Families have been advised to consider whether children can cope. Some 1,500 soldiers, sailors and airmen have been drafted in to assist stewards.
Experts including a former Downing Street adviser warned making people wait overnight – especially the elderly – risked doing them harm. Yesterday a 75-year-old grandfather in the queue was the first to buckle
Jonathan Haslam, communications director at No 10 under Sir John Major, said: 'It is marvellous that so many want to pay their respects to Her Majesty. But not everyone will be able to do so in person.
'There has been a
