London
CNN
–
King Charles III and Prince William, Prince of Wales, greeted members of the public queuing to see The queen of lying in the country Saturday on a surprise tour of London.
the Royal family They were spotted shaking hands with well-wishers near Lambeth Bridge. Prince William appeared in high spirits as he spoke to the crowd and asked several people how long they had been waiting.
Some mourners shouted “Hip-Hop Hooray” and “God Save the King” as Charles died.
A woman carried Charles’ Paddington Bear; The imaginary bear has become associated with the Queen since she appeared in a drawing alongside the character during her platinum jubilee celebrations.
People have been queuing for hours to watch Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin since she began lying in Westminster Hall on Wednesday.
The government said the line approached its full capacity on Saturday. At lunchtime on Saturday, the government queue tracker said the current waiting time is 14 hours.
Earlier on Saturday, Charles III visited the Metropolitan Police headquarters in London’s Lambeth area to thank police and emergency services officials involved in planning and executing events since the late Queen’s death.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Conde said during a media briefing on Friday that the Queen’s funeral on Monday would be “the largest single policing event” ever undertaken by the Metropolitan Police Force in London.
The Queen’s grandchildren, including Princes William and Harry, are expected to stand vigil near her coffin later on Saturday.
On Sunday, King Charles will host a reception at Buckingham Palace for “heads of state and official guests from abroad” ahead of the late Queen’s state funeral.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan, were invited to the reception by mistake, a source familiar with what happened told CNN.
On an official state occasion, the palace said the king would be accompanied only by working members of the royal family. The source told CNN they “imagined” an administrative error. The couple was not “excluded” from the reception, as some media reported.
A spokesman for the Sussex family did not comment.
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