Queen Elizabeth II’s lying in state queue paused for at least six hours as capacity reached

The queue to see the Queen lying in state has reached capacity (PA)

The public queue to attend Queen Elizabeth II’s lying in state has been paused for at least six hours after reaching capacity, the British government has said.

Mourners have been warned by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport not to attempt to join the queue at Southwark Park in south-east London until around 4pm on Friday at the earliest.

The call was made as the official estimate for queuing time reached at least 14 hours.

The department tweeted: “Southwark Park has reached capacity. Entry will be paused for at least 6 hours. We are sorry for any inconvenience.

“Please do not attempt to join the queue until it re-opens.”