People camp overnight, wait in line for hours to see Queen Elizabeth II's coffin lying in state in London
LONDON -- Many people camped out overnight to be among the first to see Queen Elizabeth II's coffin in London on Wednesday.
Thousands of people weaved through the metal barricades, past security, over Lambeth Bridge and toward Westminster Hall where the monarch is lying in state.
"My tribute is just to be there and say thank you," Kevin Jones told CBS2's Ali Bauman.
Jones says he dressed for a funeral to see the queen.
"I feel quite proud, but I do feel a bit emotional. It's strange to explain. I don't know why because I've never met the queen, but I just feel this thing inside of me. I do. Sometimes I speak, I get a little choked sometimes just talking about it," he said.
"It's a lovely atmosphere in the queue. People are from all over the world. Just feel that same emotion, just want to say thank you," Louisa Jacobi said.
Many came prepared for a 20-hour wait.
"Lots of layers, so jumpers, scarves, gloves, umbrellas," Emma Bollard said.
So it was a pleasant surprise when, in the first few hours, the line moved fairly quickly.
"It's been about three-and-a-quarter hours, so pretty well-organized," Jacobi said.
"We were definitely willing to stay overnight and stand up and queue overnight because it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, isn't it, and it's a moment in history," Ali Geake said.
But even with the efficient line, it was still a very long day for people like Susan Hopgood, who started it out waiting for the procession from Buckingham Palace.
"I've been here since half 6 this morning ... You could hear a pin drop in there. Everything went quiet, and it was just beautiful," she said.
Her energy after all these hours, she says, is from the gravity of the moment.
"Very sad day for our nation, but lovely to be here and be part of history," Hopgood said.
Bauman also met a family pushing their grandmother in a wheelchair along the line. The security guards tried directing them to the shorter path, designated for people with disabilities, but the grandmother refused. She said she was determined to stand out of her wheelchair when she approached the queen's coffin.
