London CNN –
King Charles III and Prince William, the Prince of Wales, greeted members of the public queuing to see the Queen lying in state on a surprise stroll through London on Saturday.
The royals were seen shaking hands with well-wishers near Lambeth Bridge. Prince William appeared to be in high spirits as he spoke to the crowd and asked several people how long they had been waiting.
Some mourners shouted “hip hip hurray” and “God save the king” as Charles passed.
A woman held up a toy Paddington Bear to Charles; the fictional bear has been associated with the Queen since appearing in a sketch alongside the character during her platinum jubilee celebrations.
People have been queuing for hours to see Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin since it began lying in state at Westminster Hall on Wednesday.
The line was nearing full capacity on Saturday, the government said. At lunchtime on Saturday, the government’s queue tracker said the current waiting time was 14 hours.
Earlier on Saturday, Charles III visited the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police in London’s Lambeth district to thank police and emergency services officials involved in the planning and implementation of events since the late Queen’s death.
The Queen’s funeral on Monday will be the “biggest policing event” London’s Metropolitan Police has ever carried out, Assistant Deputy Commissioner Stuart Cundy said during a media briefing on Friday.
The Queen’s grandchildren, including Princes William and Harry, are expected to stand vigil at her coffin later on Saturday.
On Sunday, King Charles will host a reception at Buckingham Palace for “overseas heads of state and official guests” ahead of the late queen’s state funeral.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan, received an invitation to this reception by mistake, a source with knowledge of the incident told CNN.
As an official state occasion, the Palace said the king would only be accompanied by working members of the royal family. The source told CNN they “figured” there had been an administrative error. The couple was not “disinvited” from the reception, as some media have reported.
A spokesman for the Sussexes had no comment.