Thursday 29 September 2022 12:44 PM Hundreds of royal fans line up outside Windsor Castle to become the first to ... trends now
Hundreds of royal fans are queuing outside Windsor Castle as it opens to members of the public for the first time since the Queen’s death.
It is the first opportunity the public have had to view Her Majesty's final resting place and see the ledger stone in the George VI memorial chapel which is inscribed with her name.
Wrapped up in coats and jumpers, crowds waited patiently in the chilly autumnal morning, with bright sunshine beaming down.
Anne Daley, 65, from Cardiff, and Grace Gotharg, from Ghana but who lives in London, were the first people in the queue, having arrived at Windsor Castle at 7.30am.
Ms Daley said she felt emotional about entering, adding: 'The castle feels like empty, gloomy. Nobody’s living in it. You know, you’ve lost the Queen, you’ve lost the duke, you lost the corgis.
'It’s like when you’ve sold your house and all the history is gone.'
Royal fans have been queuing in line since 7.30am today as Windsor Castle reopens to the public for the first time since the Queen's death
Hundreds of people have been patiently waiting their turn to view Her Majesty's final resting place and see the ledger stone in the George VI memorial chapel
Members of the public walked slowly past the Queen's tomb, but they did not stop, as they had been instructed not to do so by members of staff.
Grace Gogharg and Anne Daley looking solemn while leaving after visiting Windsor Castle and St George's Chapel this morning
Both Ms Daley and Ms Gotharg had been supporters of the monarchy for a long time.
Ms Daley said: 'My father was in the Irish Guards and he did the coronation. So I had an interest from when I was a little girl.'
Ms Gotharg added: 'I am from the Commonwealth so I knew the Queen before I came here.
'She did a good job as head of the Commonwealth. She was a good woman and a good mother. Everybody loves her.'
The pair, who became friends at the unveiling of the Diana, Princess of Wales statue outside Kensington Palace in July 2021, were among the first people to see the Queen lying in state in Westminster Hall.
Ms Daley said: 'We waited at Lambeth Bridge on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, when we eventually got in at 5pm.'
Darren Martin, 43, from near Melbourne in Australia, was the next person in the queue.
Once inside the Queen's final resting place, the crowd shuffled round the walls of the chapel, passing the tombs of other monarchs and the main seating area.
Darren Martin, 43, from near Melbourne in Australia, is a royal super fan and used to 'fantasize' about his grandmother being the Queen. He was part of the crowds in Windsor today
He travelled to the UK two
