A House of Commons spokesman confirmed that members of parliament can view the Queen’s coffin without having to queue for miles – and can also bring up to four guests. House staff can also avoid the line, which was about 3.5 miles long at 11 a.m. according to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and were offered one visitor ticket each. Accredited journalists with access to the Parliamentary estate can also skip the queue to see the Queen, closing their allocated time slots. The Queen is in state as the queue stretches over three miles – live updates This morning former Prime Minister Theresa May joined thousands of mourners paying their respects to the Queen in state at Westminster Hall. Dressed in black, Mrs May looked emotional as she paused for a moment of reflection at the monarch’s coffin. Other MPs who took the opportunity to skip the queue on Thursday morning included Conservative former cabinet minister Theresa Villiers and fellow Tory MP David Symonds. Image: Conservative former cabinet minister Theresa Villiers (back centre) was another MP who visited the Queen’s coffin Meanwhile, mourners queued overnight in central London to see the Queen lie in state. Thousands have lined the South Bank in Waterloo in their raincoats and cups of coffee before entering Westminster Hall to bid farewell to the Queen. The route starts on Albert Embankment, next to Lambeth Bridge, before dropping down to the River Thames. Read more: Watch King fume over pen leakImages: Meghan, Kate and the rest of the royal family at Westminster Hall By 11am, the queue had gone past Tower Bridge. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 0:49 ‘What’s a few hours in the queue?’ Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to file past her coffin after the doors opened to the public at 5pm on Wednesday. They will remain open for four whole days until 6.30am on Monday 19 September – the day of her funeral. The Queen’s coffin continues to be guarded at all hours by units of the Sovereign’s Bodyguard, the Household Department or the Yeoman Warders of the Tower of London. The first person to join the queue was Vanessa Nathakumaran, who arrived at 11.30am on Monday.
