The queen's queue: Tens of thousands pay respect to Queen Elizabeth II

People queue in front the City of London to pay their respect to the late Queen Elizabeth II during the Lying-in State at Westminster Hall in London.

People queue in front of Tower Bridge to pay their respect to the late Queen Elizabeth II during the Lying-in State at Westminster Hall in London.

London: People flocked to central London to join a queue to file past the coffin of Queen Elizabeth on Saturday, undeterred by a government warning to stay at home to avoid standing in line for hours to see the late monarch's lying-in-state.

Tens of thousands of people have already filed past the coffin in a steady, solemn stream, queuing for hours through the dark and cold to pay their respects to Britain's longest-reigning monarch - a testimony to the affection in which she was held.

By mid-morning, the culture ministry said the waiting time stood at up to 16 hours to reach Westminster Hall to take part.

Having laid at rest in the Scottish capital for 24 hours the coffin was flown south to London, where tens of thousands of people crowded onto a normally busy road in driving rain to observe the flag-draped casket being driven to Buckingham Palace.

Among those waiting to file past the late monarch's coffin on Friday were veterans who had sworn to give their lives in service to their queen and others who had grown up as children of former British colonies. They had come together to mark a moment in history - the passing of Britain's longest reigning monarch.

Older mourners spoke of their pride in a monarch who was still carrying out government duties two days before she died, while younger people spoke of their need to bear witness to such a huge national event.

"She was my boss for 24 years," said Martin Jervis, 54, from Suffolk in eastern England, wearing his naval beret and medals and explaining how, as a member of the armed forces, everything he had done was for the queen. "That pride and that respect and that responsibility never go away," he said.

Jervis queued with his cousin Ricky Woods, 51. Starting at midnight, they were a couple of hours away from entering the vast medieval Westminster Hall when he spoke to Reuters at around 9 am.

While the early hours had been marked by laughter, chat and a sharing of stories amongst strangers, Jervis said the atmosphere had become "a little bit more serious, a little bit more sombre" as they edged along the River Thames towards parliament.

Cordelia Stronge, 56, from Sierra Leone, spoke of her pride in her adopted city London as she queued with two family members who had been visiting the capital from the West African nation. "We've known her since we were children," she said, wearing a colourful blue and yellow headscarf and multiple layers. "Sierra Leone, where I come from, was a colony under the British Empire, so she means a lot to us."

The death of Queen Elizabeth has sparked an outpouring of emotion across Britain, with elderly men and women, some in old military uniforms, moving slowly and quietly among the sea of floral tributes left in royal parks and outside royal palaces.

At the same time, many younger observers have arrived, smartphones in hand, to celebrate a life and an occasion.

"I'm never going to be part of something like this again," said 25-year-old medical student Jane Ganeshalingam who queued with her mother and explained that her earliest memory in life came from a celebration of the queen when her school gave out bookmarks. "Part of being British, I guess is just having a queen or having Queen Elizabeth II on the throne."

For Reverend Paul Roberts, 42, a vicar in the Church of England from Herefordshire, western England, he said he was there to represent his parish and give "something very small back" after she did so much.

"It makes me feel very proud, really, the eyes of the world are on us and so many people that we've been speaking to in the queues, they're from all over the world," he said, wrapped in a winter coat. "The queen really is a truly global leader."

Members of the public stand in the queue as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (L) pays his respects he passes the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II as it Lies in State inside Westminster Hall, at the Palace of Westminster in London.

Former England football captain David Beckham waiting to pay his respects as he passes the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, Lying in State.