Thousands of mourners queue for third day as King to visit Wales

Waiting time of 14 hours

Those wishing to pay respects to Her Majesty are now queuing for around 14 hours.

The line stretches back almost five miles to Southwark Park.

Pictures: Friday queue

Three tube stations to be closed to prevent overcrowding

Three central London Tube stations will be closed on the morning of the Queen’s funeral to prevent overcrowding.

Transport for London (TfL) announced that passengers will be prevented from starting or ending journeys at Westminster, St James’s Park and Hyde Park Corner stations for “most of the morning” on Monday.

The transport body said it “will aim to reopen stations” after the funeral at Westminster Abbey – which will be at around noon – to help people leaving the Westminster area.

Green Park station will be exit-only between 10am and 8pm.

Many buses in central London will be diverted due to road closures.

TfL also announced that buses will pull over “if it is safe and practical to do so” and switch their engines off during the one-minute silence on Sunday at 8pm and the two-minute silence on Monday at around 11.55am.

William ‘not expected’ to learn Welsh

The Welsh First Minister indicated that he did not expect the new Prince of Wales to follow in the footsteps of his father and learn Welsh.

Mark Drakeford told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that “nobody will be expecting miracles” from Prince William on the language, admitting that it could be a “challenge” to learn as an adult.

“The language is a very important part of Wales, spoken by thousands of people every day as part of their everyday lives. It’s not necessarily the easiest language to acquire later on.

“The incoming Prince of Wales will want to recognise the importance of the Welsh language and the part it plays in shaping the identity of a contemporary Wales.”

He said the Welsh people would understand and “appreciate” any interest in the language show by the prince.

“I don’t think anybody will expect somebody to have a suddenly acquired fluency in the Welsh language.”

“Nobody will be expecting miracles.”

China delegation ‘banned from attending lying in state’

An official delegation from China has reportedly been banned from attending the Queen’s lying in state.

It comes amid a row over Chinese representation at the funeral of the late monarch, with concerns raised by some Conservative MPs over the extension of an invitation to the country.

Senior Tory MPs Tim Loughton and Sir Iain Duncan Smith this week wrote to the Commons Speaker and Lord Speaker, calling it “extraordinary” that Chinese representatives should have received an invitation.

The group from Beijing has been refused permission by Commons authorities to attend the lying in state after an intervention by the Speaker, a senior parliamentary figure told news website Politico.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle reportedly told colleagues he declined a request for the delegation to be allowed access to Westminster Hall, where crowds continue to pay their respects to the Queen ahead of her funeral on Monday.

A House of Commons spokesman said “we do not comment on security matters” when queried.

A spokesman for Sir Lindsay also declined to comment.

Jacinda Ardern to meet King

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will meet the King, Prince of Wales and Prime Minister before the Queen’s funeral.

Ms Ardern confirmed the meetings but disclosed minimal details after arriving in the UK, saying she will “share the sorrow that New Zealand has” with the new monarch.

“I’ll simply share the sorrow that New Zealand has and pass on our deepest condolences,” the visiting PM said at a press conference in London.

“At the end of the day, although this is a period of transition for him, he has also lost his beloved mother. For us and New Zealand, that’s first and foremost.”

Ms Ardern, who said she is planning to attend the Queen’s lying in state at Westminster Hall ahead of the funeral, also confirmed she will meet with Liz Truss.

The visiting PM said the Queen’s death and new King will be the “focus of conversation” when she and Ms Truss meet.

Firm friends made in the queue

Mary Buttimer, 59 from Greenwich, and Martin Clark, 65, from Kent, have become firm friends in the queue.

Standing near London Bridge station, London, the pair have been in the queue for an hour and a half.

Mary said she had joined the queue to pay her respects to the Queen.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m a royalist, but I just thought it was a respectful thing I could do, to acknowledge her years of service,” she said.

Martin said they had started near Bermondsey station.

“We are in, we have got to see it through now,” he said.

Charles to make first visit to Wales

The King and former Prince of Wales is to visit Cardiff for the first time as monarch.

There is no official legal function or necessary procedure to the events – but does mean Charles III will have been to all four home nation capitals since his mother, the Queen died.

Queen used to watch The Crown on Netflix

The Queen used to watch episodes of The Crown via a projector on Sunday nights, actor Matt Smith has said.

The British actor, who played a young version of the Duke of Edinburgh in the popular royal-drama, said he wanted to return to the UK to experience the “ceremony” of the monarch’s state funeral – due to be held on Monday.

Smith starred opposite Claire Foy for the first two seasons of the show, which also featured John Lithgow as Winston Churchill.

It has long been speculated as to whether any members of the royal family watched the hit series, or what their opinions of it were.

Speaking to NBC’s Today Show, Smith said: “I heard the Queen had watched it, and she used to watch it on a projector on a Sunday night apparently.

“I know that Philip definitely didn’t.

“A friend of mine sat next to him at a dinner once and he asked him… apparently he turned ’round to him and said ‘don’t be ridiculous’.”

Smith revealed his desire to return to the UK for the funeral on Monday, saying: “I think it’s a piece of history.

“I think I just want to be in London. I want to experience it, I want to share in the ceremony of it really.”

He added that whereas his mother wanted to go to witness the procession, he would most likely watch the service “in a local pub with a group of friends”.

It comes after Foy spoke of the honour of playing the Queen on screen, describing the late monarch as a “massive symbol of continuity and dignity and grace”.

Pictures: Queue enters third day