Whitby man tells of 'once-in-a-lifetime' experience of queuing 11-and-a-half hours to see Queen Elizabeth II lying in state

When Chris Colebrooke, 26 – a huge fan of The Queen – and his partner Amber joined the queue, they were advised it could be a 16-hour wait from the back of the five-mile queue when they joined at 3pm on the Saturday – but they eventually got in at 1.45am the next morning.

Chris described the historic moment they got into Westminster Hall.

“The security was like nothing I’d ever seen before, it was nothing short of airport security, there were machine guns, it was crazy.

"We went past security to the Abbey doors and a sense of calm and eeriness took over, with stewards asking people to shush.

“The emotion was engulfing, everyone was there to pay their respects and you could see the emotion on everyone’s faces.

"It was touching how many people from different walks of life had gone to pay their respects.”

Chris said it really sank in when standing next to the coffin looking at the Royal standard and the sparkling imperial state crown, what a historic moment it was.

"As I went down to bow, the emotion struck then,” he said.

"As we exited, we took a final glance back as it was something we’ll never see again.”

Chris and Amber stayed in London for the funeral cortege on Monday among huge crowds in Hyde Park.

Chris laid cards from his Colebrooke Productions students, including a picture of Rosie Young portraying a young Queen in a Colebrooke Showcase performance.

"Having seen the Queen’s coffin beforehand was the best move as we were surrounded by people at Hyde Park – although not the original plan, it worked out better as we had the chance to see the coffin and say our goodbyes,” he said.

"The entire weekend was surreal.

"I’m a ‘Queenist’, if that’s a word – she had a bit of magic about her.

"I felt like it was once-in-a-lifetime, and for everything she has represented over the years.

“I said for two years that when the time comes, I would go down.”