On the afternoon of Wednesday 14th September 2022, a ceremonial procession took place from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster. The procession saw the Queen’s coffin travel via Queen’s Gardens, The Mall, Horse Guards and Horse Guards Arch, Whitehall, Parliament Street, Parliament Square and New Palace Yard. There were viewing areas along the route for the public to watch the procession.
On arrival at the Palace of Westminster the Queen’s coffin will lie in state in Westminster Hall until the day the day of her funeral, Monday 19th September 2022.
During these 4 days the public will be able to pay their respects at Westminster Hall, which will be open 24 hours a day, from 5pm on Wednesday 14th September until 6.30am on Monday 19 September.
Queues are extremely long with over one million mourners coming to pay their respects over the 4 days. There are very limited opportunities to sit as the queue is moving continuously, throughout the day and night. The 4.5-mile queue passes through London Bridge, Southwark, and Waterloo before finishing at Westminster. The queue begin on the Albert Embankment and continues to Southwark Park, it then flows over Lambeth Bridge to Victoria Tower Gardens where there are vigilant security measures in place before entering the Palace of Westminster.
Please prepare ahead of queuing. There is a strict one bag per person policy (max size 40cm x 30cm x 20cm). Refreshments along the queue are limited, it is therefore advised to bring along your own supplies for whilst you wait. Queue hopping is forbidden, and those in line cannot reserve spaces for others.
Amongst the thousands of stewards, there are more than 1,500 soldiers as well as up to 10,000 police officers at work to control the crowds and man the queues.
Getting to the Palace of Westminster:
By Bus
- The bus routes 11, 24, 88, 148 and 211 pass by Westminster Abbey
- The bus routes 3, 12, 53, 53X, 87, 109, 159 and 453 stop close to Westminster Abbey
- Nearby bus stops are Parliament Square stop (1-min walk), Abingdon Street – Stop L (4-min walk), Westminster Station – Stop G (4-min walk) and Westminster Station – Stop A (5-min walk).
By Train
- The nearest train stations are Victoria and Waterloo.
- From the Victoria Station, get onto Wilton Road. Approximately 15-minute walk.
- From Waterloo Station, head towards Westminster Bridge. Approximately 18-minute walk.
By Tube: St James’s Park (Circle and District Line), Westminster (Jubilee, Circle and District Line), Victoria (Victoria, Circle and District Line) and Waterloo (Jubilee, Northern and Bakerloo Line).
NOTE: There are no parking facilities at Westminster Abbey.
Click here for a map of the ‘lying in state’ queue
Click here to read our tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ll
