James Blunt makes queue jump quip as he was among the last to see Queen lie in state before funeral

James Blunt was among the last to see the Queen lie in state after he joined the last of the hundreds of thousands in the queue to Westminster Hall. The queue was closed at 10.30pm on Sunday night (September 18) before the last mourner paid their final respects to the late monarch after four days of lying in state.

Thousands of people have made the pilgrimage to pay their respects to the late monarch. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said after 10.30pm on Sunday that the last people had been admitted to the queue to see the Queen’s coffin at Westminster Hall. The announcement had been expected throughout the day on Sunday as waiting times hit a peak of 14 hours at 10am.

The last member of the public to to pass through the hall was Chrissy Heerey, a serving member of the RAF from Melton Mowbray. Ms Heerey said: “I was the last person to pay my respects to the Queen and it felt like a real privilege to do that. I’d already been round once, I went in at 1.15 this morning. It’s one of the highlights of my life and I feel very privileged to be here."

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James joked he was "ushered to the front after offering to sing" after he was spotted alongside his wife Sofia Wellesley in the miles-long queue stretching through London. The You're Beautiful singer wore a black suit and tie as he waited to pay his respects, with Sofia, who is the granddaughter of Valerian Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington and is believed to a pal of The Queen's granddaughter, Princess Eugenie, also opting for darker clothes.

James, 48, and Sofia, 39, were first spotted in a photo shared by a member of the