From West Midlands to Westminster: Pair make 13-hour journey to pay respect to the Queen

Two friends from the West Midlands have recorded diaries of their 13-hour journey to pay respects to Queen Elizabeth II.

Mourners queued into the night for the opportunity to pay tribute to Her Majesty, after the Queen's Lying in State opened to the public on Wednesday.

Jamie Joyce and Dan Goodby made the decision to travel down from Birmingham on Thursday, setting out by car at around 10am.

The pair made their way to London, and made use of the underground to get to Green Park, near Buckingham Palace.

It took them nearly two hours to walk to the back of the queue, filled with people who had travelled from afar to witness a piece of history.

They eventually joined the back of the line at 3:25pm, some four miles away on Queen Elizabeth Street.

The four-mile long queue route stretched along the River Thames to Westminster Hall, at the Palaces of Westminster.

Jamie is from Northfield, Birmingham and works as a store manager in Oldbury.

He said: "When the news broke that the Queen wasn't well I was following it from 12 noon until we found out she had passed.

"From that moment, I knew I wanted to be there, I wanted to experience history and pay my respects.

"I have great respect for the royal family and specifically what the Queen has done for us and the country as a whole.

"I wanted to absorb it all in and be amongst people feeling the same things."

By 6:15pm, the pair had made their way to BFI Southbank, on Belvedere Road, heading towards Waterloo Bridge to cross the River Thames.

The London Eye was the next stop, which they arrive at around 6:40pm.

Jamie said: "It was amazing and lovely being there.

"We both made friends with people in the queue, we all brought each other coffees and shared stories.

"There was someone queuing near us who had actually met her.

"Even though the queues were long, everyone was in great spirits."

Jamie and Dan arrived at the lawns of Westminster at around 9pm, closing in on 12 hours since they set out.

Once they had passed through those queues, they entered Westminster Hall at 11pm and were finally able to pay their respects.

Jamie said: "Myself and Dan showed our respect as we passed alongside the coffin and stopped to bow our heads.

"We left the hall at about 11.06pm, and as we were about to leave we were lucky to see changing of the guards. It felt peaceful and powerful.

"The crown, orb and sceptre on top of Her Majesty's coffin was a sight to remember.

"The long queue was worth the wait, everyone around us supported each other throughout.

"We got to see a piece of history, and show our thanks for the service given by Our Queen, as she promised until the end."