King Charles III stands vigil; Wait to see queen's coffin hits 24 hours

Britain's King Charles III attends a vigil beside the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, as it lies in state on the catafalque in Westminster Hall, at the Palace of Westminster, London, Friday Sept. 16, 2022. (Dominic Lipinski/Pool Photo via AP)

LONDON: A surging tide of people - ranging from London retirees to former England soccer captain David Beckham - have lined up to file past Queen Elizabeth II's coffin as it lies in state at Parliament, so many that authorities had to call a temporary halt Friday (Sept 16) to more people joining the miles-long queue.

By late afternoon, a live tracker said the line to get into historic Westminster Hall had reopened, but the British government warned that it would take more than 24 hours of waiting to cover the 5 miles (8km) from the start of the line in Southwark Park to the coffin at Parliament. The government also warned that "overnight temperatures will be cold.”