Queen Lying in State route map: How and where to queue to say farewell to Her Majesty

The Queen's coffin first lay in state at St Giles' Cathedral before she was brought to London. Credit: PA

A queue route map for mourners wishing to pay their respects to the Queen as she Lies in State has been released.

The queue to Westminster Hall is expected to stretch for about four miles along the River Thames, the newly published route reveals.

The miles-long queue will begin on the Albert Embankment by Lambeth Bridge and will continue along the South Bank to Southwark park in Bermondsey, south east London.

More than 1,000 volunteers, from the Scouts, Samaritans, British Red Cross, First Aid Nursing Yeomanry and the Salvation Army, along with stewards and Metropolitan Police officers will be monitoring the queue as it winds its way along past some of London's major landmarks.

From Albert Embankment, the queue will run along Belvedere Road behind the London Eye, and head onto the South Bank where it will follow the River Thames past the National Theatre, Tate Modern and HMS Belfast under Tower Bridge and along to Southwark park. 

Once people reach the front of the queue at Albert Embankment, they will be directed across Lambeth Bridge, into Victoria Tower Gardens and through airport-style security before entering the Palace of Westminster where the Queen will be lying-in-state.

People have already begun queuing to see the Queen, despite the Lying in State not opening to the public until 5pm on Wednesday, 14 September.


The route the Queen's coffin took from Buckingham Palace on Wednesday


The hall will be open 24 hours a day until it closes at 6.30am on Monday, 19 September - the day of the Queen's funeral - when there will be a nationwide bank holiday.

The queue will close early to ensure as many visitors as possible can enter the Palace before the lying-in-state period ends. 

There will be live updates online showing wait times and detailing how how far back the queue is stretching

Accessible route map

The accessible queue route map to see the Queen Lying in State. Credit: DCMS

An accessible route map has also been published, which also shows the location of disabled bathrooms.

A government spokesperson for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) which is handling the logistics, told ITV News that stewards may have to turn people away if they are unlikely to get into the Hall before the Queen's coffin is moved for her funeral.

There are strict bag restrictions in place and mourners are being urged to "plan ahead and prepare appropriately".

Numbers could be capped at around 350,000, with people warned to expect up to a 30-hour wait.

Mourners are also being urged to check the list of prohibited items.

Authorities are warning of airport-style security for access to the hall, with large bags needing to be left in a drop-off facility that has limited capacity. 

Mourners are also being asked to dress 'appropriately for the occasion', and remain silent in the Palace of Westminster.

An accessible route will begin at Tate Britain where timed entry slots will be issued for a queue heading along Millbank to the Palace of Westminster for those who need it. 

Guide dogs, hearing dogs and other official assistance dogs will be permitted in Westminster Hall.

British Sign Language interpreters will also be available.

People queue to pay their respects as the Queen lies at rest at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh. Credit: PA

Toilets and water fountains will be available along the route, while Southbank Centre, National Theatre, BFI Southbank and Shakespeare’s Globe and others will be opening their doors for extended hours for queuers to use their facilities.

The BFI will have an outdoor screen showing archive footage of the Queen throughout her reign for those queueing to watch while they wait. 

Once inside the Palace of Westminster, people will be able to walk past the Queen's coffin which will be raised on a catafalque and draped in the Royal Standard, with the Orb and Sceptre placed on top.

Members of the public file past the Queen’s coffin in St Giles’ Cathedral Credit: Peter Byrne/PA

The coffin will be guarded around the clock by a vigil of units from the Sovereign's Bodyguard, the Household Division or Yeoman Warders of the Tower of London. 

An online book of condolence is available for people to add personal messages. 

Members of the public are also urged to check for travel updates, plan their journey and check times for last services.


The remarkable life of the Queen remembered and the King's inaugural speech analysed in our latest episodes of What You Need To Know


Earlier on Tuesday, the Scottish Government announced the queue to see the Queen Lying at Rest had closed an hour and a half before visits to Edinburgh's St Giles' Cathedral were due to end at 3pm.

Around 26,000 have paid their respects to the late Queen since the cathedral opened to the public at 6pm on Monday.

Up to a million people are expected to queue to see the Queen's coffin after it is laid to rest in London's Westminster Hall tomorrow.

Around 200,000 mourners queued for miles along London Bridge and right down the Southbank to visit Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, when she Lay in State in 2002.