Huge line of Queen Elizabeth II mourners visible from space

queue for queen elizabeth ii on bridge seen from overhead

A massive queue of mourners for Queen Elizabeth II is visible from space.

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to join a lineup, called 'The Queue' by locals, stretching 6 miles (10 km) through central London and along the Thames River from her lying-in-state location at Westminster Hall.

New #satellite imagery today at 12:01 pm local time in #London and the long line of people waiting to pay their respects to HM The Queen at #WestminsterHall. #QueenElizabethII pic.twitter.com/zl2Ym7WzjLSeptember 16, 2022

The Queue has become a shared experience for the United Kingdom and London in particular, generating dry wit even as the community comes together to pay their respects.

view of crowds seen in a satellite image — Thousands of people congregated in a large queue to see Queen Elizabeth II's lying-in-state. (Image credit: Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies)

man with british flag standing on bridge looking at lineup of people — A close-up view off the crowds near the Thames River in London. (Image credit: Loic Venance/AFP via Getty Images)

Well-wishers stand in the queue in Southwark Park for the Lying-in State of Queen Elizabeth II on September 16, 2022 in London, England. — Well-wishers stand in the queue in Southwark Park for the Lying-in State of Queen Elizabeth II on Sept. 16, 2022 in London, England. (Image credit: David Ramos/Getty Images)

"We are honoring two great British traditions: loving the Queen and loving a queue," Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York, told people in line on Wednesday (Sept. 14), according to Reuters.

A massive queue of mourners waits to pay respects to Queen Elizabeth II. (Image credit: David Ramos/Getty Images)

The Royal Family conveyed their thanks via social media.

"We have been overwhelmed by the tide of emotion that has engulfed us and the sheer number of people who have gone out of their way," the Earl of Wessex, who is the Queen's youngest child and brother of King Charles III, said via the Royal Family's official Twitter account.

Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., was a staff writer in the spaceflight channel between 2022 and 2024 specializing in Canadian space news. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years from 2012 to 2024. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House, leading world coverage about a lost-and-found space tomato on the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, "Why Am I Taller?" (ECW Press, 2022) is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams.