Former England captain David Beckham and presenter Susanna Reid are among the famous faces who have waited several hours to see the Queen lying in state.
The football star began queueing at 2am on Friday and was still in line 12 hours later, while the Good Morning Britain presenter said she waited in line for seven hours and 20 minutes on Thursday.
Beckham, 47, a keen royalist, said he felt “lucky” to have spent time with the Queen and remembered the moment he was made an OBE.
“To step up, to get my honour, but then also Her Majesty, to ask questions, to talk, I was so lucky that I was able to have a few moments like that in my life, to be around Her Majesty,” he told ITV News.
“Because we can all see with the love that has been shown, how special she is and how special she was and the legacy that she leaves behind.
“It’s a sad day, but it’s a day for us to remember the incredible legacy that she’s left.”
The former midfielder also reminisced about singing God Save the Queen with his teammates ahead of England matches, as “something that meant so much to us”.
Speaking about joining the queue, he added: “I thought by coming at 2am it was going to be a little bit quieter – I was wrong.”
Evening – along with my lovely mum and her very good friend, I have just experienced a moment in history – witnessing the Queen lying in state in Westminster Hall. At once majestic and peaceful. pic.twitter.com/f6hhdI96L6
— Susanna Reid (@susannareid100) September 15, 2022
Ms Reid, 51, joined the queue on Thursday with her mother, Sue, and said she had “experienced a moment in history”.
Detailing her experience on Twitter, she said: “Evening – along with my lovely mum and her very good friend, I have just experienced a moment in history – witnessing the Queen lying in state in Westminster Hall. At once majestic and peaceful.”
Her posts on Thursday also shared tips for others in the queue, saying: “If you are planning to queue here are our tips. We joined at 1.23pm near Butlers Wharf and entered Westminster Hall at 8.43pm – 7 hours 20 mins. Wear the comfiest shoes you own. Go with someone if you can, although everyone in the queue was friendly.
“Don’t carry too much in a bag – water is freely available and there are lots of cafes along the route. Also plenty of toilets. I put my phone on low battery mode and it lasted the entire time.”
The first part of the queue is for wristbands. Ours were given out at Tower Bridge about an hour after we began queuing. There is no queue jumping – people waited patiently for wristbands and once you have one you can leave the queue for snacks/loo stops & slip back in.
— Susanna Reid (@susannareid100) September 15, 2022
She added: “The first part of the queue is for wristbands. Ours were given out at Tower Bridge about an hour after we began queuing. There is no queue jumping – people waited patiently for wristbands and once you have one you can leave the queue for snacks/loo stops & slip back in.”
Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby were also spotted at Westminster Hall as they paid their respects.
The presenting duo, who have been hosting special tribute editions of ITV’s This Morning to the late Queen this week, were dressed in all-black outfits as they queued for the historic occasion.
Reality TV star Sharon Osbourne was also seen among the thousands of mourners.
On Friday the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) paused the queue to Westminster Hall for “at least six hours” after Southwark Park reached capacity, with the estimated queueing time for mourners having risen to at least 14 hours.
Some of those in the queue will witness the King, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex hold a 15-minute vigil around their mother’s coffin at about 7.30pm this evening.
For those who are not able to attend in person, a continuous livestream of the Queen lying in state has been set up by a number of broadcasters including the BBC and ITV.
Thousands have tuned in over the past couple of days to watch mourners file solemnly past the coffin to pay their respects.