Following the Government’s permanent closure of the accessible line this afternoon, there are no longer any handicapped individuals who may see the Queen lying-in-state at the Palace of Westminster.
Since Wednesday night, tens of thousands of mourners have endured 14-hour five-mile lines and very cold nighttime temperatures to pay their last respects to Britain’s longest-reigning queen before her official funeral and burial on Monday.
This morning, the accessible line for individuals with disabilities was closed; it reopened at noon, but the Department of Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) later said that the line had hit capacity and was now permanently closed.
The department said that wristbands had been given for every time slot so that as many individuals as possible may pay their respects.
Please do not join the line at Tate Britain, the DCMS tweeted. I appreciate your cooperation.
Government instructions stated that people with disabilities would be given a slot to file past the Queen’s coffin in Westminster Hall at the accessibility kiosk located at Tate Britain on Millbank. The accessible queueing scheme would be open from 5pm on Wednesday for 24 hours a day until the lying-in-state closes at 6.30am on Monday, the day of the funeral.
There will be a limited capacity for the accessible line each day, so admittance is not assured, the DCMS cautioned. This is so that “as many guests in the queue may enter the Palace before the Lying-in-State period comes to a conclusion.”
With temperatures as low as 7C shortly before 7 this morning, the line, which now has its own ironic BBC weather prediction, warned the public not to go, according to the official queue tracker.
Please do not join the line at Tate Britain, the DCMS tweeted. Thank you for your patience.
The mourners disregarded advise and travelled to pay their respects to the late monarch despite often checking the tracker.
According to London Ambulance Service statistics, 275 individuals were treated in the 12 hours leading up to midnight yesterday night, with 39 of them being sent to the hospital.
Originally from Teesside, Claire Smart, 47, said she travelled to the capital to “give my respects and to express my regret for all the times as a little child I rolled my eyes having to listen to the Queen.”
I always wanted to bow before the Queen while she was alive, and I kind of felt like coming here and doing it now.
When questioned whether the anticipated wait times discouraged her from leaving at 4.45am, Ms. Smart said, “I simply thought I’ll regret not trying.”
Due to a “need to come down,” Linda Partridge, 71, and Simon Hopkins, 59, travelled from the West Midlands for the laying in state.
Even though they claimed it was closed, Ms. Partridge felt the urge to go down. She left her house at three in the morning to make the trip. If they turned away after we arrived, that’s okay. If I had been informed I couldn’t leave, I would have just felt compelled to come.
There was a feeling, according to Mr. Hopkins, that it may be preferable to stay put rather than go, but you know, if it turned out to be disappointing, so be it.
Due of her knee issues, Ms. Partridge had packed a walking stick with a seat, but apart than that, the two had nothing with them.
We probably believed that we would get down here and be turned away, she continued. In any case, it was on our minds.
Shiv Pandian, 58, a urologist for the NHS for 30 years, said he was prepared for a protracted wait. He is from Raynes Park in south-west London.
You’re accustomed to working long hours at the NHS, he added, chuckling. “There are plenty of places to eat, restrooms, and stuff.” “For 70 years, the Queen has served us.” She and I have both served for thirty years. I’ve attended three of her jubilees and want to say farewell.
“I got off at Waterloo, followed the line backward, and at one time I was led here to Southwark Park,” he said. Then it assuredly said, “I’m expecting by midnight tonight I’ll have seen the Queen. It’s 14 hours from the entrance here.”
Paula Priest, 53, of Wolverhampton, said that she was willing to wait till she arrived at Westminster Hall for whatever long it took.
Those that persisted with the journey in spite of government advisories were pleasantly pleased by the queue’s speed.