Mourners wait more than 9 hours to pay respects to Queen Elizabeth II

A steady stream of mourners began the second day of paying respects to Queen Elizabeth II, who is lying in state in Westminster Hall.

The crowds are the latest manifestation of a nationwide outpouring of grief for the only monarch most Britons have ever known, who died at her beloved Balmoral summer retreat last Thursday at age 96, ending a 70-year reign.

The queen's remains will lie in state until her funeral on Monday.

Her coffin was topped with the Imperial State Crown — encrusted with almost 3,000 diamonds — and a bouquet of flowers and plants, including pine from the Balmoral Estate.

As people stand in line to honor the queen, authorities warn that they should be prepared to "stand for many hours, possibly overnight."

Live updates:Line of mourners to see Queen Elizabeth's coffin at Westminster reaches capacity

Mourners wait 9 hours to pay respects to the queen

The wait for mourners to pay respects to Queen Elizabeth continued to grow Thursday, with people waiting at least 9 hours. The queue snaked across a bridge and along the south bank of the River Thames beyond Tower Bridge. But people said they didn’t mind the wait, and authorities rushed to offer services like portable toilets to make the slog bearable.

“I’m glad there was a queue, because that gave us time to see what was ahead of us, prepared us and absorbed the whole atmosphere,” health care professional Nimisha Maroo said. “I wouldn’t have liked it if I’d had to just rush through.”

Keith Smart, an engineer and British Army veteran, wiped away tears as he left the hall. He had waited more than 10 hours for the chance to say his goodbye.

“Everybody in the crowd was impeccably behaved. There was no malice, everybody was friends. It was fantastic,” he said. “And then, to come into that room and see that, I just broke down inside. I didn’t bow — I knelt to the floor, on my knees, bowed my head to the queen.”

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Prince William, Kate greet mourners at Norfolk estate

Prince William and Princess Kate, now Prince and Princess of Wales, Thursday greeted thousands of people outside Sandringham, the royal country estate in Norfolk.

The couple appeared outside the gates of the 20,000-acre estate to view the sea of floral tributes left for Queen Elizabeth II and to greet thousands of well-wishers..

William and Kate walked slowly along metal barriers as they received bouquets from the public and chatted to well-wishers.

Jane Wells, 54, was among those who turned up and spoke to William, 40, about how he and brother Prince Harry, 38, walked behind the queen’s coffin with their father, King Charles III, and the king's siblings, in the procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall for the start of the lying-in-state on Wednesday.

“The walk yesterday was challenging,” William said, according to Wells.

“I said how proud his mother would have been of him, and he said how hard it was yesterday because it brought back memories of his mother’s funeral,” Wells told reporters afterward.

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Sandringham is the monarch's privately-owned retreat a few hours by train northeast of London. It's where the late queen spent some of her childhood years and where she presided over many Christmas family gatherings.

Buckingham Palace announces nationwide moment of silence

Buckingham Palace has announced that two minutes of silence will be observed across the United Kingdom at the end of Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral.

The funeral is to be held at Westminster Abbey on Monday, with some 2,000 guests attending, including visiting heads of state and other dignitaries.

Officials said Thursday that after the funeral, the late queen’s coffin will be transported through the historic heart of London on a horse-drawn gun carriage.

It will then be taken in a hearse to Windsor, where the queen will be interred alongside her late husband, Prince Philip, who died last year.

Line to see queen wraps around Thames river

Before visitors are able to enter the doors of Westminster Hall to see Queen Elizabeth II's casket, they will have waited in a line more than 4½ miles long on the south bank of the River Thames, reaching as far as Tower Bridge.

Survival of the Monarchy:Why Queen Elizabeth II's funeral is more than just ceremony

Authorities warn those planning to come that there is "very little opportunity to sit down, as the queue will keep moving.”

Those managing the mammoth logistical challenge have called on queue management experts and behavioral scientists to create a temporary community rather than a line. It features 10 miles of “queuing infrastructure,” including moveable barriers and more than 500 portable toilets along a route leading to Parliament’s Westminster Hall.

When those who want to pay their respects finally make it to Westminster Hall, they will be able to see Queen Elizabeth's coffin perched on a raised platform, called a catafalque, surrounded by candles and guards who will stand watch for 24 hours a day until Monday.

One of the guardsmen fainted while on duty, according to SkyNews and British newspaper The Telegraph. BBC cut the Westminster Hall livestream as other guards rushed to his side to pick him up.

President  Joe Biden personally calls King Charles ahead of procession

President Joe Biden offered personal condolences to King Charles III on Wednesday in his first conversation with the new king since Queen Elizabeth II's death.

Biden, who last saw the queen during a visit to Windsor Castle last year, recalled with fondness her kindness and hospitality, according to a statement from the White House.

The president said Queen Elizabeth’s dignity and constancy deepened the strong ties between the two nations. He told the king he hopes they can “continue a close relationship.”

What to expect as the queen lies in state

Queen Elizabeth II will lie in state at London’s medieval Westminster Hall until her funeral on Monday. The queen's coffin will be available for viewing for 24 hours a day from 5 p.m. BST Wednesday until 6:30 a.m. on Monday, the day of the state funeral.

The closed coffin will be draped with a royal flag and adorned with royal regalia. It will set on a catafalque, or a raised platform, in the center of Westminster Hall as royal guards stand 24 hours a day at each corner of the platform.

In the U.K., lying in state is reserved for the sovereign, queen consorts, and sometimes prime ministers.

Queen Mary, King George VI and King George V were among royals who lay in state at Westminster Hall. Winston Churchill was the only British prime minister to have a lying-in-state ceremony in the 20th century.

Contributing: Elise Brisco, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Queen Elizabeth updates: Mourners wait 9 hours to pay respects