MUM Teresa Yates unpacked her Union Flag blanket on Windsor’s The Long Walk yesterday and readied herself for the long night ahead.
Along with a clutch of other hardy souls, she was set to spend 27 hours in her fold-up chair as she prepared to bid farewell to the Queen today.
96,000 are due to wait at Windsor to watch the Queen’s final journey
One member of the queue commented: ‘it’s a very British affair’
Mum-of-two Teresa, 57, will have a plum spot among the 96,000 who are due to stand with her.
Blinking back tears, the hospitality worker, from Abingdon, Oxon, said: “The Queen was always there for us. So I wanted to be here for her.”
She brought along a cake stand for teatime scones. In her handbag were marmalade sandwiches. Teresa said: “It’s a very British affair.”
Susan Hopgood, 45, from Egham, Surrey, said: “This is the Queen’s final journey to her last resting place. That’s why I had to be here.”
Thousands yesterday walked in brilliant autumn sunshine along the route the cortege will take today.
The atmosphere was something akin to a sombre village fete.
Some had spread blankets on the turf to picnic under trees, while at the castle’s gates a sea of floral tributes and messages were laid.
Giant TV screens have been put up so the vast crowd can follow today’s service at Westminster Abbey and see the hearse drive to Windsor.
Californian Brent Wagner, 55, said: “Everyone in America is talking about the Queen’s passing.
“It’s like we’ve lost the world’s grandmother.”
Giant TV screens have been put up so the vast crowd can follow today’s service at Westminster Abbey and see the hearse drive to Windsor
