The queue to see Queen is officially closed to all latecomers at the back

The queue through central London today (Picture: PA)

Nobody else will be granted entry to the queue to see the Queen lying in state, to ensure that those who are part of it will reach the end in time.

In a tweet, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport wrote: ‘The queue to attend Her Majesty The Queen’s Lying-in-State is at final capacity and is now closed to new entrants

‘Please do not attempt to join the queue.’

By 9pm the waiting time had stood at seven hours as the last crowds filed through, with people collecting wristbands for entry at London Bridge.

Westminster Hall will close to visitors at 6.30am tomorrow, ahead of the state funeral of Elizabeth II.

There will be a full day of events with a major procession through London, as well as the service in Westminster Cathedral.

At 3pm today, the government said that the queue time was at least 9.5 hours and it was stretching back to the end in Southwark Park.

The length of time had dropped significantly from earlier today, when it was more like 12 hours – and from Friday when it was over 24 hours and a ‘queue for the queue’ had formed.

This is likely to be because the government warned people not to set off to join the queue as they could be disappointed by not being able to join or reach the end.

They said earlier: ‘A decision will be taken today on final queue closure time. To avoid disappointment please do not set off to join the queue.’

Thousands of people lined up along the Thames to see the Queen lying in state (Picture: EPA)

People waited for hours before filing past the Queen’s coffin in Westminster Hall (Picture: Shutterstock)

Queen Elizabeth II dead: Latest updates

• Live tracker shows how long the queue is to see Queen lying in state
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• Drivers told ‘avoid central London’ with major road closures for Queen’s funeral

Head to Metro.co.uk's Queen Elizabeth II tag page for the latest updates, and sign Metro.co.uk's book of condolence to Her Majesty here.

Members of the public at the end of the queue in Southwark Park in London (Picture: PA)

Members of the public in the queue on Lambeth Bridge today as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state (Picture: PA)

Over the past few days, some people have sought to find a short cut by buying a wristband rather than waiting in line for one.

Some people have tried to cash in by selling the wrist bands on eBay, which have reportedly attracted bids of several thousand pounds before being removed.

An eBay spokesperson said: ‘These items are against our policies and we are removing them from our site.’

The eBay events tickets policy says tickets for things such as concerts, festivals, sports or theatre cannot be listed on the site.

A few orange wristbands remained on the site under the header ‘new listing’ on Sunday morning.

They were priced with starting bids from £20 to £150.

The exact number of people who joined the queue is not yet known, with the government not releasing any figures about it.

Before the queue opened, around 350,000 to 750,000 people were expected to queue to file past the Queen’s closed coffin and pay their respects.

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