Around 750,000 people are expected to file past Elizabeth’s coffin in Parliament’s Westminster Hall from 5pm (4pm GMT) on Wednesday. The Queen died last week, aged 96, at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
The outpouring of sadness at her death has already drawn large crowds to Scotland, where she lay for 24 hours in St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh. About 33,000 people paid their respects during this period.
The London memorial, which will last almost five days and end on the morning of his funeral, is a much bigger occasion.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime event to honor a once-in-a-lifetime woman,” said Andrew Israels-Swenson of Minnesota, who said his mother Briton, 82, asked him to participate to “represent the family”.
He and a dozen other people formed a queue earlier on Tuesday to be among the first to view the coffin, which will be placed on an ornate platform inside a centuries-old hall of the British Parliament that bears plaques on the ground marking the places where his ancestors also rested in state.
“Please respect the dignity of this event and behave appropriately. You must remain silent inside the Palace of Westminster,” read the government’s guidelines, which also ask supporters not to film or photograph inside parliament. .
The hundreds of thousands of people expected will have to queue along the south bank of the Thames, passing landmarks such as the London Eye ferris wheel and a recreation of Shakespeare’s Globe theatre.
Upon joining the line, mourners will receive a bracelet allowing them to briefly leave the line to go to the bathroom or obtain food and drink.
Volunteers, stewards and police will line the route, while cafes, theaters and other venues will open their doors to offer refreshments. The British Film Institute will have an outdoor screen showing footage of the Queen and her reign.
“Antisocial or inappropriate behavior (including queuing, excessive drinking or drunken behavior) will not be tolerated and you will be removed from the queue,” the guidelines state. government guidelines.