As thousands of people spent London’s coldest night in months huddled in line to view the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Hall, many also spent Saturday camping out hoping to secure a good spot for Monday's funeral.
The lying-in-state continues until early Monday morning, when the queen’s coffin will be borne to nearby Westminster Abbey for a state funeral, the finale of 10 days of national mourning for Britain’s longest-reigning monarch.
Sixty-two year old Shirin Thorpe, arrived in London on Thursday from Sevenoaks in Kent with a friend and they came prepared: inflatable mattresses, sleeping bags, winter coats and battery packs.
Sitting on camping chairs by Parliament Square, they have hung out Union Jack flags along the security barriers lining the streets and even put out a photograph of the monarch, bidding her farewell.
Like a dozen others, including families with small children, Thorpe is hoping to catch a glimpse of the Queen's coffin as it travels on a gun carriage pulled by horses from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey.
"There's going to be millions of people here and we didn't want to miss the chance of not being able to see the Queen passing us and the royal family," Thorpe said.
For now, the weather has been on their side with unlikely sunshine and mostly clear skies.
But even if it rains she's prepared to continue her stake out. "We're tough women like the Queen."
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Three chairs to the right is Rachael Axford from Porthleven in Cornwall who arrived at 5am Saturday, joining Thorpe and others around Parliament Square just outside Westminster Station, where public restrooms are available to the public.
The Queen's death brought together people from all over the UK.
"We've all sort of ended up as a bunch of friends looking out for each other and we plan to be here now until the big event on Monday," Axford said.
"I just think it is really important that everybody shows their love and support for the royal family," she added.
Elizabeth, 96, died at her Balmoral Estate in Scotland on Sept. 8 after 70 years on the throne.
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