Entertainment
All the stars who have queued to visit the Queen lying in state – from David Beckham to Susanna Reid and Tilda Swinton-Jess Bacon-Entertainment – Metro
Some waited up to 13 hours to see the late Queen.
From David Beckham to Tilda Swinton, celebrities from all professions have queued for hours to see the Queen’s coffin lay in state (Picture: BBC / ITV / reuters)
The past few days have seen Brits do what they do best – stand in an orderly queue, and for a very good reason.
People from across the world have flown to London with the longest wait time of 24 hours, to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II and see her coffin in Westminster Hall before her funeral on Monday (September 19).
Even celebrities, usually with the luxury of VIP access to the most sought out areas, stood in line for their chance to be part of this momentous occasion in history.
It comes ahead of the state funeral, which will take place on Monday and be broadcast to the nation.
The ceremony will start at 11am, with the procession from Westminster Hall beginning at 10.35am.
A nationwide two-minute silence at 12pm (midday) will also take place.
Tilda Swinton
Tilda Swinton was seen bowing her head towards the Queen’s coffin (Picture: Twitter)
It is unclear how long the Marvel actor waited in the general line to visit the Queen’s coffin (Picture: Getty Images|Twitter)
Marvel’s Tilda Swinton was spotted in amongst the sea of people besides the Queen’s coffin, as she bowed gracefully to honour the late monarch.
The actress, who is known for her titular roles in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe and Doctor Strange, was also a childhood acquaintance of Princess Diana’s as they both attended the West Heath Girls’ School in Kent.
David Beckham
Thousands of people spotted David Beckham who joined the queue at 2am to pay his respects to the Queen (Picture: REUTERS)
Queen Elizabeth II dead: Latest updates
Live tracker shows how long the queue is to see Queen lying in state
What happens next following the death of the Queen?
What time is the Queen’s funeral and where is it taking place?
Nationwide minute’s silence for The Queen at 8pm on Sunday
Drivers told ‘avoid central London’ with major road closures for Queen’s funeral
Head to Metro.co.uk’s Queen Elizabeth II tag page for the latest updates, and sign Metro.co.uk’s book of condolence to Her Majesty here.
One national treasure that caught everyone’s eye was former England footballer, David Beckham, who queued for 13 hours to see the Queen lying in state.
The sporting legend wore a suit and flat cap, as he waited patiently with thousands of other people as the line crawled along through central London.
The England footballer waited for 13 hours to join in the historic moment (Picture: Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
At the time, he told the BBC: ‘We all want to be here together, we all want to experience something where we celebrate the amazing life of our Queen.’
Beckham was also seen to shed a tear on camera, as he finally arrived in Westminster Hall.
Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Osbourne was seen in the queue consoling other mourners as she spoke about being a huge ‘royalist’ (Picture: Mirrorpix)
Former X-Factor judge Sharon Osbourne also joined the line and hugged members of the public as they waited together, as she revealed she’s a huge ‘royalist.’
She said: ‘I love the Queen, and I came over for this because I’m a royalist and I love the royal family.’
Susanna Reid
Susanna Reid and her mother waited for over seven hours to enter Westminster Hall (Picture: ITV)
Good Morning Britain’s Susanna Reid documented her 7 hour wait and shared her tips for others waiting in the line on Twitter.
‘Evening – along with my lovely mum and her very good friend, I have just experienced a moment in history – witnessing the Queen lying in state in Westminster Hall. At once majestic and peaceful,’ she tweeted.
She also gave some advice for other’s planning to undertake the lengthy wait: ‘If you are planning to queue here are our tips. We joined at 1.23pm near Butlers Wharf and entered Westminster Hall at 8.43pm – 7 hours 20 minutes.
Susanna documented the experience on Twitter and gave other people in line advice about managing the long wait times (Picture: ITV)
She added: ‘Wear the comfiest shoes you won. Go with someone if you can, although everyone in the queue was friendly.’
The TV presenter said that people were given wristbands near Tower Bridge and there was ‘no queue jumping’, but people could dip in and out of the line for the toilet or to grab food.
Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield
Holly and Phil were criticised as the presenters did not have to wait in line with the general public to enter the hall, as they were part of the press (Picture: ITV)
However, some famous faces have come under fire.
Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield faced huge backlash after they entered the hall – without waiting in line – on Friday (September 16), as members of the press.
This Morning bosses confirmed that the hosts were there to film for Tuesday morning’s show, but many people claimed the duo should have had to queue with all the other mourners did.
This Morning took to their official Instagram account to explain that Phil and Holly did not ‘skip the queue’ but were at Westminster Hall as press (Picture: Instagram)
The show even issued a statement on their official social media accounts to state: ‘They did not jump the queue, have VIP access or file past the Queen lying in state – but instead were there in a professional capacity as part of the world’s media to report on the event.’
A petition has been made to cancel the long-running daytime programme, with a statement claims ITV ‘exploited’ the situation and is ‘damaging.’
The queue is expected to close this evening and members of the public have been told to not join the 13 hour wait to avoid disappointment.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
MORE : Mourners urged to stay away from The Queue because you’re unlikely to see Queen
MORE : A queue love story? Strangers meet in Elizabeth Line and will watch funeral together
Entertainment – MetroRead More