Queen Elizabeth II: Thousands tune into BBC livestream of Queen lying in state as queue in London grows to 2.6 miles

The number of viewers tuned into the livestream of the Queen lying in state topped 20,000 on a number of occasions within its first hour online.

The service began broadcasting globally via the BBC News website at 5pm on Wednesday, when the doors of Westminster Hall opened to the public.

Mourners could be seen tearful as they filed solemnly past the coffin and paid their respects.

The number of people viewing the dedicated stream quickly rose to about 20,000 and remained there for much of the first hour of broadcast.

Members of the public file past, as soldiers of The Grenadier Guards and Yeomen of the Guard, stand guard around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, inside Westminster Hall, , London, as members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday. Picture date: Wednesday September 14, 2022.

The service is also available in the UK on the iPlayer, BBC Parliament and the red button until the Queen’s funeral.

Up to 400,000 people are expected to brave a 12-hour wait on the banks of the Thames to pay their respects to the Queen as she lies in state in Westminster ahead of her funeral on Monday.

Thousands of mourners are continuing to join the miles-long queue to pay their respects to the Queen as she lies in state at Westminster Hall.

Many have queued overnight for the chance to file past the monarch’s coffin after it was handed to the care of the nation on Wednesday afternoon.

By 8am on Thursday, the queue was around 2.6 miles long and stretched to Borough Market.

Queen lying in state in Westminster Hall after family march behind coffin

The coffin, which sits on a catafalque and is draped with a Royal Standard, continues to be guarded at all hours by units from the Sovereign’s Bodyguard, the Household Division or Yeoman Warders of the Tower of London.

The Government has issued guidance about what can be carried into the hall, bathroom facilities for those in the queue and the risk of having to wait through the night.

As hunders of people of all ages filed past the coffin of the long-reigning monarch, many wiped their eyes with tissues.

Some bowed, some curtsied and some simply took a moment to look at the extraordinary scene.

Lying in state will continue until 6.30am on Monday, after which the coffin will be taken in a grand military procession from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey for the state funeral.