The news that mourners may have to line up for 35 hours to pay their respects to the late Queen has made headlines – and unsurprisingly so. They say we Brits love queueing, but surely that love affair has its limits.
Elizabeth II’s lying-in-state in Westminster Hall is open to the public 24 hours a day, from 5 p.m. today until 6.30 a.m. on Monday. Last night Whitehall released the details of the military-style logistics operation that they hope will see the event run as smoothly as possible – with more than 300,000 mourners expected to form a five-mile human line stretching from SW1 along the South Bank and past HMS Belfast into the borough of Southwark.
While the official plan doesn’t confirm or deny the ‘35 hours’ reports, mourners have been told to brace themselves for a long haul – with a million people expected to head into London ahead of the funeral on Monday. So if you’re one of them, what can you do to make the wait as comfortable as possible?
For food, look to places that aren’t predominantly seen as restaurants.
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