The Queen’s children hold a Vigil at Westminster Hall. Video / The Royal Family
A man has been arrested after allegedly attempting to rush the Queen's coffin in Westminster Hall, the Guardian reports.
Police officers reportedly rushed to detain the man just before 10pm on Friday evening (local time) after mourners spent the day paying their respects to the late monarch.
"Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command detained a man in Westminster Hall following a disturbance," Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
It added the man was "arrested for an offence under the Public Order Act and is currently in custody".
Earlier on Friday, King Charles III and his three siblings stood vigil around their mother's coffin. Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward stood with their backs to the flag-draped coffin of the Queen, their heads bowed.
Members of the public who had been waiting in the 8km long queue to see the Queen's coffin paused in the exit of Westminster Hall to catch a glimpse of the royals.
The surging tide of people — ranging from London retirees to former England soccer captain David Beckham — prompted authorities earlier on Friday to call a temporary halt to more people joining the queue.
By late afternoon, the queue had reopened, but the UK government warned that the waiting time to cover the start of the line in Southwark Park to Parliament had climbed to more than 24 hours. The government also warned that "overnight temperatures will be cold".
King Charles III attends a vigil for late Queen Elizabeth II as she lies in state in Westminster Hall. Photo / AP
Beckham was spotted in the line of mourners near Britain's Houses of Parliament at lunchtime Friday. He's believed to have joined the queue at 2am and to have lined up for more than 10 hours with thousands of others.
Wearing a white shirt and black tie, he bowed briefly to the coffin before moving out of Westminster Hall.
"We have been lucky as a nation to have had someone who has led us the way her majesty has led us, for the amount of time, with kindness, with caring and always reassurance," Beckham said.
"I think that's the one thing that we all felt safe and we will continue that with the royal family. But I think her majesty was someone special and will be missed, not just by everyone in our country but everyone around the world."
We spotted David Beckham queueing on London's South Bank to pay his respects to the Queen.
It was a long wait for the former England captain, who joined the crowd at 2am and waited for over 10 hours before he was let in to see the Queen.
Helena Larsen, 76, arrived just too late at the park.
"We have literally got here and they have shut it in front of us," she said, adding that she would likely hang around the area until the gates were reopened.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said viewing the Queen's coffin lying in state was an unforgettable experience.
"You're in Westminster Hall in her presence, with a crown on top of her coffin, and it's incredibly emotional," he said.
After a day out of the public eye on Thursday, King Charles III flew to Wales on Friday on the final leg of his tour of the nations that make up the United Kingdom.
Charles, who for decades before his accession to the throne was the Prince of Wales, visited Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff for a service of prayer and reflection in honour of his late mother. After the service he and Camilla, the Queen Consort, greeted crowds of wellwishers, including flag-waving schoolchildren as people chanted "God save the King!"
A small group protested the visit, with one person holding up a banner saying: "King? No thanks."
Visitors from all over the world arrive to pay their respects to late Queen Elizabeth II in London. Photo / AP
The King later travelled to the Welsh parliament, the Senedd, to receive condolences from legislators and replied to them, telling members of the parliament that Wales "could not have been closer to my mother's heart."
Charles said he felt "immense gratitude for the privilege" of serving for decades as Prince of Wales, the title traditionally bestowed on the heir to the throne. Prince William now has that title.
Charles returns to London later Friday and will briefly stand vigil at his mother's coffin in the evening with his siblings, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.
Before the vigil, Edward said the royal family had been "overwhelmed by the tide of emotion that has engulfed us and the sheer number of people who have gone out of their way to express their own love, admiration and respect" for "our dear mama".
On Saturday, all eight of Queen Elizabeth II's grandchildren are expected to stand vigil beside her coffin for 15 minutes.
Charles' sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, will attend that vigil along with Princess Anne's children, Zara Tindall and Peter Philips; Prince Andrew's daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, and the two children of Prince Edward – Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn.
William, who after his grandmother's death is now the heir to the throne, will stand at the head of the coffin and Harry at the foot. Both princes, who are military veterans, will be in uniform.
People leave Westminster Palace after paying their respects to late Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Hall in London. Photo / AP
Most senior royals hold honorary military roles and have worn uniforms at events to commemorate the Queen. Harry, who served in Afghanistan as a British army officer, wore civilian clothes during the procession of the Queen's coffin from Buckingham Palace because he is no longer a working member of the royal family. He and his wife Meghan quit royal duties and moved to the United States in 2020.
The King requested that both William and Harry wear their uniforms at the Westminster Hall vigil.
London police said Friday that the Queen's state funeral on Monday will be the largest single policing event the force has ever handled.
Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy said the massive police operation surpasses even that for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London as well as the celebrations earlier this year of the Queen's 70 years on the throne.
