Tracey Holland told Sky News that her 7-year-old niece Darcy Holland was pushed from the waist by a man who tried to “run up to the coffin, pick up the standard and try to do I don’t know what”. He said police arrested the man in “two seconds”. According to AFP, a live television feed of mourners was briefly interrupted at around 10pm as police arrested the man, two hours after King Charles III and his three siblings held a vigil in the grotto hall. The Metropolitan Police said a man had been arrested on suspicion of a public order offence. The tide of people wanting to say goodbye to the Queen has grown steadily since the public was first welcomed into the hall on Wednesday. On Friday, authorities temporarily stopped allowing more visitors to join the end of the line, which snakes around Southwark Park about 5 miles from Parliament. Members of the public pay their respects as they pass the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II as she lies in state inside Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster in London September 17, 2022. Marco Bertorello/Pool via Reuters Overnight, volunteers handed out blankets and cups of tea to people in line as the temperature dropped to 43 degrees Fahrenheit. Despite the weather, mourners described the warmth of a shared experience. “It was cold all night but we had great mates, met new friends. The camaraderie was great,” said Chris Harman from London. “It was worth it. I would do it again and again and again. I would walk to the ends of the earth for my queen.” Members of the public continued to stream silently through Westminster Hall, even as the Queen’s four children – Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward – held vigil around the flag-draped coffin for 15 minutes on Friday night. A baby crying was the only sound. Before the vigil, Edward said the royal family was “overwhelmed by the tide of emotion that has washed over us and the sheer number of people who have gone out of their way to express their own love, admiration and respect (for) the beloved us mom “ People queuing to see the Queen were of all ages and from all walks of life. Many prostrated before the coffin or made the sign of the cross. Several veterans, their medals gleaming in the spotlight, offered sharp salutes. Some were in tears. Others blew kisses. Many hugged each other as they walked away, proud to have spent hours in line to pay their respects, even if it only lasted a few moments. On Friday, the waiting time increased to 24 hours. Among the mourners was former England football captain David Beckham, who queued for almost 12 hours to pay his respects. Wearing a white shirt and black tie, he bowed briefly at the coffin before leaving Westminster Hall. “We were lucky as a nation to have someone who led us the way her majesty led us, for a long time, with kindness, with care and always reassurance,” Beckham told reporters afterwards. The lying in state is set to continue until Monday morning, when the Queen’s coffin will be taken to nearby Westminster Abbey for a state funeral, the finale of 10 days of national mourning for Britain’s longest-serving monarch. More
