Welsh cakes and Deliveroo: The woman at the front of the queue to see the Queen's coffin in London

  • Wales

A Cardiff woman became just the second person to join the queue to see the Queen lying in state at Westminster Hall, 48 hours before mourners will be able to pay their respects.

Anne, 65, from Cardiff, who wished not to give her last name, joined the queue by Lambeth Bridge on Monday.

Authorities are warning of huge overnight queues to see the Queen's coffin at Westminster Hall.

Mourners wishing to pay their respects can do so from Wednesday, 14 September.

Vanessa Nathakumaran, 56, from Harrow, and Anne 65, from Cardiff are the first two people to arrive to queue for the Queen's lying in state. Credit: PA

The 65-year-old arrived at about 2:15pm on Monday with a chair and a Welsh flag, saying she had got up at 3am and travelled with a group from Cardiff but only found out where to go after seeing Vanessa Nanthakumaran on the news.

She said: "So here we are and representing Wales."

On hearing the news of the Queen's death, she said: "I couldn't stop crying for days."

Anne said waiting for days is "nothing to me" adding that she had come prepared with Welsh cakes and a sandwich as well as ordering from Deliveroo.

"We have plenty of lovely company," she said. "People are so kind in London."

Anne has attracted attention from media outlets across the world.

"My father was in the Irish Guards so I've been to a lot of ceremonies since I was four years old - Trooping of the Colour, weddings, all sorts. So I wanted to come and pay my respects."

"She was just a remarkable steadfast lady. She never let anybody down. She was always punctual, always had time for everybody; particularly when she came to Aberfan"

Anne continued: "We went to the rehearsals this morning and the whole country's going to be in floods of tears and heartbroken because we don't associate Her Majesty with sad hymns.

"This morning listening to the hymns for the funeral procession - you have goosepimples, it's heartbreaking."

The Queen's coffin will lay in state at Westminster Hall and huge crowds are expected to queue overnight to pay their respects to the monarch over four days before her funeral next Monday.

People have been warned to plan ahead if they're travelling to London over the next few days.

Full details of the funeral proceedings will be released at 10pm on Tuesday.