Millions pack central London hours before queen's funeral procession begins
LONDON (CBSDFW.COM) — The sidewalks around central London were packed.
You couldn't really go anywhere without getting caught in a human traffic jam, especially the closer you got to Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace.
A million visitors are expected to be here by Monday for an event unlike anything this city has seen in modern history.
Among those coming to London, 500 are heads of state from around the world. We got video of President Biden leaving a reception for dignitaries in a motorcade. He'll be one of 2,000 who attend the queen's funeral.
There are signs everywhere of the unprecedented security measures in place for this event.
Police are maintaining tight control of where people can go, and barricades are keeping the crowd spread out.
Even at this late hour, there are still people in line to see the queen lying in state, which ends tomorrow morning.
Most of those in the queue tell us they made a last minute decision to come.
"She's been in our lives for all of my life. I just really felt like I needed to come, and I'd have been gutted if I'd missed it, which I thought I was going to," said London resident Debbie Flanagan. "I'm just so happy that I'm nearly here."
We are just hours away now from the queen's final goodbye. The multiple services begin at 11 a.m. London time, and there are already hundreds of people camped out along the procession route that runs from Westminster Abbey to Windsor Castle.