The Record Number Of People Who Were Willing To Wait For A Glimpse Of The Queen's Coffin

After the heartbreaking death of Queen Elizabeth II, authorities have said London could reach "bursting point" by the weekend. The Independent reported that law enforcement is expecting around one million mourners to visit London to pay their respects to the beloved monarch while Queen Elizabeth's coffin lies in state. Sir Mark Rowley, the New Metropolitan Police chief, told the Independent that authorities began planning for the queen's death "five or six years ago" because they knew so many people would want to pay tribute to the monarch.

According to CNN, London's mayor Sadiq Khan said, "The world has not seen a funeral like this. She was loved, revered, our monarch for more than 70 years." Authorities are estimating that well-wishers should plan to wait in line for 35 hours at Westminster Hall to visit the monarch's coffin. It's expected that only 350,000 people can be admitted per day, with Westminster Hall remaining open 24 hours on each of the days, per the Independent. The Royal Family Channel tweeted: "Queues of people can be seen on Lambeth Bridge in London as members of the public wait for what could be more than 30 hours, to see the Queen Lying in State."

According to AP News, public viewing of the late monarch's coffin is scheduled from 5 p.m. Wednesday, September 14, until 6:30 a.m. on Monday, September 19, the day of the funeral. AP News also reported that the British government is warning that waiting in line to pay respects to the queen will be a "feat of endurance."