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King Charles and Prince William's surprise visit to mourners waiting to see Queen lying-in-state

The royals made a shock visit


king charles prince william westminster queue
September 17, 2022
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King Charles and Prince of Wales are meeting people waiting in the queue for the Queen's lying in state at Westminster Hall.

MORE: The sentimental reason Prince William's new role is extra special

The pair headed out to royal fans on Saturday who have been waiting in excess of 12 hours to pay their respects to Her Majesty the Queen. The wait is now expected to take around 24 hours for the latest joiners.

WATCH: King Charles III greets public queuing to see Queen's coffin

According to the BBC, "Hundreds of people in line at Lambeth, south London, cheered and applauded as Charles and William emerged."

READ: Prince William and Kate Middleton's 'immensely special' first home with Prince George revealed

SEE: David Beckham joins the queue to pay respects to the Queen alongside Holly Willoughby

Prince William thanked people for waiting in line for many hours for the Queen’s lying in state, as he shook hands dedicated members of the public. Several people shed a tear after meeting him, and one woman told him: “You’ll be a brilliant king one day”. Charles left before William, both of them in cars surrounded by police vehicles.

prince william greets crowd of queue members

King Charles and Prince William made a surprise appearance 

Whilst in Lambeth, the King also met police staff, who he thanked for their planning and delivery of policing in the days leading up to his mother’s funeral, as well as workers at London Ambulance Service, London Fire Brigade, Transport for London and the Army.

Last night, the new King was joined by his family members Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward to perform a vigil beside the late monarch's coffin in Westminster Abbey.

The royals stood together in Westminster Hall for 10 minutes as they guarded Queen Elizabeth II's coffin on Friday evening. Charles stood at the head of the late Queen's coffin, Andrew at the foot, and Anne and Edward on either side. The royal men wore military uniform, while Anne performed the solemn moment in royals and blues.

king charles queue

They were greeted warmly by members of the queue

On Saturday evening, the grandchildren of the Queen are expected to do the same in another emotional ceremony.

Anne was accompanied by her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, while the Countess of Wessex was present to support her husband Prince Edward.

Onlooking the touching scene stood fellow royal family members, Princess Beatrice, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, Princess Eugenie, Jack Brooksbank, Lady Louise Windsor, James, Viscount Severn, Peter Phillips.

king charles meets police

The King also met with members of the police force 

Zara and Mike Tindall were also present with two of their three children Mia, eight, and Lena, four. This is the first time we have seen any of the younger royals during the official mourning period for Her Majesty, with no appearances from the Wales children or the Sussex children, who are thought to still be in the US.

The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, The Duke of Kent, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, Princess Alexandra, and Lady Ogilvy were all also present at the hall.

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