Royal fans’ wild act before Queen’s funeral: ‘We will do it’

In the heart of London, fans of the Queen have taken their levels of commitment into a whole new stratosphere.

Royal fans are camping out for days to pay their respects to thelate Queen. Picture: Bronte Coy

It may be summer in England, but the nights are still fresh – and rain is forecast for the next few days.

But that won’t stop the legions of diehard royal fans, some of whom have already gathered on the south end of Lambeth Bridge in London - about one kilometre from Westminster Hall - desperately hoping for the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the Queen’s coffin and pay their respects as she lies in state for four days.

The Hall will be open for the public to file past 24 hours a day, from 5pm on Wednesday until 6.30am on Monday, the day of her funeral.

Officials are expecting around 750,000 people will join that queue, although that number could reach up to a million.

For some, that means camping out on a public walkway for two nights, with no official confirmation that they’re even at the designated start of the line.

“I’m not worried about camping,” Monica, 61 – originally from the Philippines but a British resident for the past 36 years – told news.com.au.

“If we can camp here for two days, we will do it. Just for you, Queenie!”

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Monica said she’d wait as long as it took. Picture: Bronte Coy

Steven says he was “pulled” here by his “heart” and “gut”. Picture: Bronte Coy

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She explained that part of her desire to join the public viewing of the late monarch’s casket was to “enjoy the atmosphere” of the sombre occasion and “see people's reaction” – but mostly, it’s borne of a deep, lifelong admiration for the Queen.

“She was constant, she was dignified, she had integrity, and most importantly, she worked really hard,” Monica said.

“Words will never be enough to express (what she means to me). Maybe after I see her, I’ll have the words, I don’t know. I’ve got mixed emotions at the moment.”

She added that she’d stocked up on supplies to get her through the lengthy wait, which began just after 8am on Tuesday.

“I’ve got pancakes, I’ve got Filipino chocolate, and our friend is a chef and will be bringing us some food. We have reinforcements coming.”

Her friend, Steven, had brought along a sleeping bag made of “100 per cent recycled plastic bottles” for them both when he joined the queue at 8am on Tuesday, in a nod to the renowned environmentalist new King.

“I have several bottles of water, and some fruit, and hopefully I’ll have some more supplies later. I’ve asked a friend to bring some things,” he explained to news.com.au.

“My heart and my gut, they pulled me here, the feeling was very strong to come here today and that’s why I’m here. Not everyone has the pull or the strength to stay here overnight and wait to see the Queen tomorrow in state.

“I know we’re only going to have a few seconds, but those few seconds will mean so much to me personally, to bow my head and show my respects in that way is something that I really want to do.”

To survive the gruelling wait, which will end up being more than 30 hours for Steven and Monica, the pair have enacted a buddy system, whereby they take turns “stretching their legs” and heading to the shops (and presumably the extra public bathrooms that have been erected nearby).

He admitted he was “shocked” that – a full day before access even becomes available to the viewing hall – more people hadn’t joined them in the queue.

“I was expecting a couple of hundred people … but I think the majority of people are showing their respects at the moment at Buckingham Palace.”

Seeing her casket, Steven said, is likely to leave him “overwhelmed” and with “the tears flowing”.

“There’ll be many emotions going through me, my mind will probably be all over the place, I’ll probably need guidance out of the building because I’ll be so emotional,” he explained.

“But I’ll try and compose myself like she did and take example from her strength.”

So what was it about the Queen that sparked this level of devotion?

“It was her smile, it was just so bright and radiant, it just melts your heart.”

At the very front of the queue is Anne, who travelled from Wales for the opportunity to pay her respects, and Grace – born in Ghana but a London resident of more than 30 years – who admitted they were delighted by the care they’ve been shown by local police and security.

“We’ve got staff organising everything for us. We brought some water, but people have been just providing everything,” Anne said.

Grace, who arrived at 4.30pm on Monday – a full 48 hours before the public will be granted access into the Hall – added that they’ve been well looked after.

“We had breakfast from the police, they went and bought it for us – we’ve been spoiled. And last night, security was here to look after us,” she said.

“Our friend will bring food to us too, we’ll be fine.”

Grace revealed that local authorities had been helping them out with supplies. Picture: Bronte Coy

Two days camped out on a street in London is an impressive effort, even for the most committed royal fan, but for Grace, it was a no-brainer.

“(The Queen) meant a lot to me, she has done a good job for the country and for the Commonwealth so I’m here to pay my respect for her for all that she’s done.”

It had been a big day already for Anne, who had ducked off pre-dawn to watch the rehearsals of the funeral procession, which she described as “heartbreaking”.

“We went to see the gun carriage and the ceremony at 5am … You’re going to see a lot of tears.”

Anne is first in line. Picture: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

The Queen’s coffin will be taken from Edinburgh to London on Tuesday evening local time (Wednesday morning AEST), where she will spend her final night at Buckingham Palace.

Her body will make the short journey to Westminster Hall on Wednesday afternoon (Thursday morning AEST), where she will then lie in state, allowing the public the opportunity to pay their respects.