Amanda Holden takes to Westminster Hall to chat to crowds waiting
‘Friendships forged forever in shared grief’: Amanda Holden takes to Westminster Hall as she chats to crowds waiting up to 14 HOURS to view the Queen’s coffin
- The presenter, 51, who usually fronts Heart FM Breakfast, swapped the studio for the crowds of sombre Brits for the news show
- Queues to see the late monarch doubled in length on Thursday and were snaking for four miles past Tower Bridge, after dropping to two miles overnight
- Sharing a video to Instagram, the star wrote: ‘My privilege to talk to some of you queuing and coming out of Westminster Hall this morning
- ‘The atmosphere and camaraderie was incredible .. friendships forged forever in shared grief…’
Amanda Holden made her way to Westminster Hall on Friday to chat to members of the public who were queuing to view the Queen’s coffin, following Her Majesty’s death on Thursday September 8 in Balmoral, Scotland.
The presenter, 51, who usually fronts Heart FM Breakfast, swapped the studio for the crowds of sombre Brits for the news show.
Sharing clips from her visit to Instagram, the TV personality penned that there were ‘Friendships forged forever in shared grief’ among the crowds.
‘Friendships forged forever in shared grief’: Amanda Holden, 51, took to Westminster Hall on Friday as she chatted to crowds who were waiting hours to view the Queen’s coffin
Amanda cut a solemn figure as she joined the crowds, some of which who had waited for over ten hours to pay their respects.
She sported a lilac, longline coat, a dusty blue mini skirt and and complementing V-neck jumper – clad with Heart FM branded tech gear.
And the presenter appeared to be taking it all in as she gazed out at the busy historical landmark.
Sharing a video to her 1.8M followers as she looked out, the star wrote: ‘My privilege to talk to some of you queuing and coming out of Westminster Hall this morning. The atmosphere and camaraderie was incredible .. friendships forged forever in shared grief ..’
Taking it in: The presenter appeared to be taking it all in as she gazed out at the busy historical landmark
Atmosphere: She shared an insight into the scene via Instagram, posting shots of the crowds
At the scene: She sported a dusty blue, longline coat and complementing Reiss dress – clad with Heart FM branded tech gear as she spoke to crowds
Shared grief: Sharing a video to her 1.8M followers as she looked out, the star wrote: ‘My privilege to talk to some of you queuing and coming out of Westminster Hall this morning. The atmosphere and camaraderie was incredible .. friendships forged forever in shared grief …
Beautiful: Describing the atmosphere, Amanda shared: ‘It’s quite sombre and emotional if I’m honest and they all say the same thing
And chatting to the public, one member of the queue admitted to waiting around ten hours overnight, with Amanda then questioning: ‘Oh my goodness, so you’ve made friends with all these people?’
‘All the way along, they’ve kept everyone going and we’ve kept each other going all the way through, we’d be lost without each other today,’ responded the interviewee.
Describing the atmosphere, Amanda shared: ‘It’s quite sombre and emotional if I’m honest and they all say the same thing – that it was an incredible experience and that the silence is just beautiful.’
Chic: Amanda was snapped heading to the Heart studios earlier on, looking chic in a dusty blue mini skirt and brushed ribbed V-neck jumper
Pastels: Amanda added a longline, lilac coat on top of the look as she layered up
Finishing touch: She added a pair of nude court heels and lilac framed sunglasses to the look
Beauty: The presenter had her blonde locks flowing freely as she showed off her leggy figure
Fellow stars have also taken to Westminster over the past few days, with Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby cutting sombre figures as they joined the crowd a little later in the morning.
The This Morning presenters donned all black ensembles, with Holly in a face mask, as they made their way into the historic building to view the late monarch lying in state.
Phillip, 60, opted to wear a smart black suit and tie for the visit, while, Holly, 41, was elegant in an understated black dress with silver button detailing along the front.
Paying respects: Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby also cut sombre figures as they were pictured joining the thousands of grieving Brits in viewing the Queen’s coffin
The pair were seen wearing lanyards around their necks but it is not yet known if they were there for This Morning filming or there for a personal visit.
Meanwhile, Heidi Range sharing pictures of her daughter Aurelia laying flowers at the scene.
As the singer paid tribute, she wrote: ‘Pleased that we were able to pay our respects today.’
Respectful: Fellow stars have also taken to Westminster over the past few days, with Heidi Range sharing pictures of her daughter Aurelia laying flowers at the scene
Heartfelt: As the singer paid tribute, she wrote: ‘Pleased that we were able to pay our respects today’
While Susanna Reid queued for more than seven hours on Her Majesty’s coffin’s first day being on public view on Thursday.
The Good Morning Britain Host, 51, took to Twitter to announce that she and her mother Sue had paid their respects to the late monarch as she lay in state.
She described the ‘historic’ moment as ‘majestic and peaceful’ as she revealed she had joined mourners in the massive queues, which had reached five miles in length.
Dedicated: Susanna Reid (pictured right) has revealed she queued for over seven hours to view the Queen’s coffin for its first day being on public view at Westminster Hall on Thursday
Grief: Susanna described the ‘historic’ moment as ‘majestic and peaceful’ as she revealed she had joined mourners in the queues, which had reached five miles in length
She wrote: ‘Evening – along with my lovely mum and her very good friend, I have just experienced a moment in history – witnessing the Queen lying in state in Westminster Hall. At once majestic and peaceful.’
Susanna said she had waited for more than seven hours to see Her Majesty’s coffin as she offered advice to others wanting to pay their respects.
She continued: ‘If you are planning to queue here are our tips. We joined at 1.23pm near Butlers Wharf and entered Westminster Hall at 8.43pm – 7 hours 20 mins.
‘Wear the comfiest shoes you own. Go with someone if you can, although everyone in the queue was friendly.
Sombre: The Good Morning Britain Host, 51, took to Twitter to announce that she and her mother Sue paid their respects to the late monarch as she lay in state
Queuing: Susanna also revealed she had waited for more than seven hours to see Her Majesty’s coffin as she offered advice to others wanting to pay their respects
‘Don’t carry too much in a bag – water is freely available and there are lots of cafes along the route.
‘Also plenty of toilets. I put my phone on low battery mode and it lasted the entire time.’
Queues to see the late monarch doubled in length on Thursday and were snaking for four miles past Tower Bridge, after dropping to two miles overnight.
Many more are expected to join the queue over the weekend – in a sign of the huge demand from people to say their final goodbye to the popular monarch.
It is estimated the number of people set to make the trip could hit more than 350,000, with people from all over the world expected to visit London to pay their respects.
Long day: Susanna (pictured with her mother) wrote: ‘We joined at 1.23pm near Butlers Wharf and entered Westminster Hall at 8.43pm – 7 hours 20 mins’
Mourners have already been pictured in tears as they pay their respects, as well as making the sign of the cross and standing in prayer.
Pictures showed paramedics appearing to treat exhausted well-wishers, some who have queued throughout the day on Thursday, to see the Queen lying in state.
It comes after a soldier guarding the coffin fainted during his stint. One mourner was seen falling as he walked down the stairs of historic Westminster Hall towards the Queen’s coffin.
Ahead of what is expected to be a peak point this weekend, more than 1.7million people have gone online to view the Government’s live queue tracker on YouTube which shows the end of the line as people wait patiently to enter Westminster Hall to see the Queen’s coffin.
Crowds: Queues to see the late monarch doubled in length on Thursday and were snaking for four miles past Tower Bridge, after dropping to two miles overnight
Thousands have already managed to see Her Majesty’s coffin, draped in the royal standard, as members of the royal guard stand in vigil around it.
But sources told MailOnline how mourners could be prevented from seeing the Queen lying in state if they arrive at the end of the queue in Southwark Park later than 12.30am on Sunday.
Organisers have designated the bottom of the 63-acre park as the end of the line to see Elizabeth II’s coffin in Westminster Hall, more than five miles away.
The estimated waiting time for those joining in the park, where snaking airport-style queues have been set up, is 30 hours.
Huge waiting times: Sources told how mourners could be prevented from seeing the Queen lying in state if they arrive at the end of the queue in Southwark Park after 12.30am on Sunday
That means that people have until 12.30am on Sunday with which to join the line before the time The Queen lays in state officially ends at 6.30am on Monday, the day of the state funeral.
On Thursday – the first full day of the Queen’s coffin being on public view – the queue had already reached Bermondsey Wall, half a mile from the park, by 3pm today.
A source said: ‘Southwark Park has been designated as the end of the queue. There have been barriers set up to facilitate a zig-zag queuing system.
‘Anyone at the end of that queue in the park can expect to wait for up to 30-hours to see The Queen in state.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=cJxDwDzAwEs%3Frel%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26hl%3Den-US
Paying respects: A child places flowers for Queen Elizabeth at the Green Park memorial next to Buckingham Palace this evening as thousands queue
‘We have to have a cut-off point, a time when we’ll have to unfortunately start turning people away.
‘That time will depend on the volume of the crowd and the flow rate on the route. At the moment around 2,000 people are being let into Westminster Hall an hour.
‘Currently that time will be either very late on Saturday night or extremely early on Sunday morning. But the Metropolitan Police will have the final say.
‘We’ve obviously been preparing for this and anticipated that the crowd would come this far…just not this soon.’
Sad news: Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest reigning monarch who was on the throne for 70 years, died at the age of 96, Buckingham Palace announced at 6.30pm on Thursday
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