anyone queuing to see the coffin in London atm?

[DickDarstedly]

I am wondering how long the queue is and how the organisation is working out. Are there enough toilets? Is it true that the wristband allows you to leave and come back?

EDITED BY MNHQ Please find the link to the new thread www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4635946-anyone-queuing-to-see-the-coffin-in-london-atm-pt-2

I'm working in London today and would love to go along after but have a bad feeling the queues are going to get ridiculously long today an I have to be back for DD2's
6th birthday in the morning. Does anyone know if the estimate of time on the tracker is accurate?

Can I ask which tube station people have been using for the queue?

According to DCMS on QueueTube, the queue has got shorter in distance (4.4 miles) but longer in hours (11.5 hours).

Live feed shows a steady 4 lines passing through Westminster Hall so I am confused by the discrepancy.

Yes I noticed that and wondered why.

I wonder whether the queue has got more bunched up?
Earlier shots of the queue along the river were pretty spread out, if they have got closer that would explain shorter distance but longer time.

But they don't need to queue, they get a timed slot to come back.

Yes I guess it could be larger groups standing together rather than individuals.

I would also imagine they have a policy of X number accessible per hour or something so the main queue still makes progress?

Oh yes. That makes sense! I hope you queue has got closer together - I didn't like the untidy queue!

There are facilities in the Tate Britain for waiting with refreshments and toilets on hand but probably not ideal overnight or for an extended period.

The queue didn't really move at all for 1.5hrs early this morning. The police told us it was closed for cleaning. We heard reports later this morning someone was sick in the hall. Although I don't see how that would take 1.5hrs to clean up! But there is a very big back log of people

I feel a bit cross the number of people who have special passes to queue jump.

I'm surprised at the number of people making the sign of the cross or genuflecting. I didn't realise that there were that many Catholics.

Making the sign of the cross is not limited to Catholics. And genuflecting certainly is not. Some may also be genuflecting as a sign of respect/a curtsey rather than it being a religious gesture at all, I would imagine.

I was amazed the first day I watched it that people all seemed to stop and "nod".

Did people know to do that or is it from seeing the footage of others doing it?

How does four lines work? Is one behind the other so not actually in front of the coffin?

I imagine it comes quite naturally? Have you never bowed your head at a funeral or when a hearse goes past?

The Hall is closed in the early morning for cleaning , it's a planned activity.

My son and his school joined the queue around 345am, apparently they had to walk 3 miles to get to it, no idea where they were dropped off. He said it was really cold, luckily I made him take hat and gloves but he only had a thin coat as didn't want to carry too much. Some of the kids had shorts on when we dropped them at midnight 😱

I have asked him to let me know when they are about to go through security so I can watch them on the live stream.

@hoikedjudgeypants : hope you are now enjoying a few hours sleep!

Thanks for update - your timings are almost exactly same as mine from the night before (8pm to 4.20 am vs 9pm to 5.20am, & crossing Lambeth Bridge at the same point in your journey…

You joined further back though as we started queuing between London Bridge & Southwark Bridge - close to Southwark Bridge really

The tracker is currently saying 14 hours!

2 inner lines are close to the Queen’s coffin: on the right outer in the accessible line, left outer is ‘regular’ line

But I think people are quite spaced out so it’s not like the ‘inner’ line blocks view of the outer line - the distance between is quite a bit more than an arms reach too (you are definitely not all on top of each other)

Ah, thank you The Dude's Mummy, I didn't know this.

I was amazed the first day I watched it that people all seemed to stop and "nod".

I think a lot of people were copying what they saw going on ahead. Don't people normally just walk past in a bit of a crowd?

The nodding is a sign of respect (which is why most people are there after all.) If you watch these things you'll see it every year at the Cenotaph. After placing their wreaths, people take a step or two backwards, nod respectfully, and only then turn back to their place.

I honestly do think the tracker is padding the time a bit so that would be worse than the worst case - yesterday early hours people who’d been through were saying 6 hours, it was 9 last night & night before etc

Difference is now the queue starts further back, & is a bit more ‘bunched up’ so it must mean people are actually flowing through better from the start point to Victoria Gardens and same delays there

TBH : once you’ve queued beyond a couple of hours you just think ‘well however long this takes Im here now’