First mourners file past Queen's coffin as Elizabeth II lies in state

The first members of the public have begun filing into the British Parliament’s Westminster Hall on Wednesday to see Queen Elizabeth II lying in state.

Mourners have spent hours in line to pay their respects to the Queen, who will lie in state until Monday morning, the day of her funeral.

Some began to queue as early as last Monday. By Wednesday morning, the line of people waiting to see the Queen’s coffin had stretched along the banks of the River Thames.

By the time Westminster Hall opened to the public, the queue was 4km long and had reached Lambeth bridge.

Her Majesty’s coffin was taken to Buckingham Palace on Tuesday evening after it was flown to London from Edinburgh.

It was carried to Westminster Hall on a horse-drawn carriage, with King Charles III and other members of the Royal Family following the coffin on foot.

The coffin was placed in position in Westminster Hall by the Grenadier Guards, and a short service was held, led by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Westminster Hall will remain open 24 hours a day during the lying-in-state period until her funeral next Monday, which has been declared a bank holiday across the UK.