Line for mourners to pay respect to Queen Elizabeth II has reached capacity
Editor's note: Our own Jim Donovan is in the United Kingdom reporting on the events leading up to Queen Elizabeth II's funeral. Follow Jim's Journey on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
LONDON (CBS) -- Right now, thousands of people in London are waiting in long lines to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II before her state funeral. In fact, the lines have grown so long, officials told people not to come.
The line stretches 4.9 miles, which would be a 14 hour wait. There's now at least a six hour pause for people to join the line. They're telling people not to come out to the line at the moment.
Meanwhile, overnight, crews in London and the queen's guards are preparing for the funeral.
BREAKING: Line for mourners to pay respects for Queen has reached capacity. It’s currently 4.9 miles long, a 14 hour wait! Officials advise people not to attempt to join until it re-opens. Pause could last 6 hours. pic.twitter.com/HZWtjCO04h
— Jim Donovan (@jimdonovancbs3) September 16, 2022
Bagpipers and British troops paraded through the British capital overnight– rehearsing for Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral on Monday.
The outpouring of love and respect for the late monarch, measured in miles, as tens of thousands from all around the world wait for hours to see the queen's coffin.
"Such a special person and we've known her for 70 years," a man said.
One woman from Canada had plenty of time to think about the queen's life while waiting in line for more than five hours.
''She was my age when she became queen and I can only imagine how much she had to learn and sacrifice for that," the woman said.
The queen's son, King Charles III, travels to Wales Friday for his first visit as monarch, where he and the queen consort will attend a prayer and reflection service.
It's Charles' final stop on his visits to the four nations of the United Kingdom as king.
The final farewell for Britain's longest reigning monarch will be the nation's first state funeral since Prime Minister Winston Churchill died in 1965.
All around London, security is tightening as the queen's funeral draws closer. Marksmen can be seen on roof tops, and bomb sniffing dogs on the streets.
Police teams and anti-terror squads are preparing for the biggest security challenge the country has ever seen.
Among the 2,000 people attending, the guest list includes President Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
A smaller, private burial service is planned for after the funeral at Windsor Castle.