ONDON – Across the River Thames, over a bridge, around a corner, down some steps, in London's on-and-off rain, Vanessa Nathakumaran is waiting to see the queen.
She's hoping to be the very first.
Nathakumaran, from Harrow, in northwest London, appeared on a stretch of walkway south of Lambeth Bridge – directly across from Westminster Hall, where the queen's body will be lying in state from Wednesday night ahead of her funeral – on Monday.
Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.
She is among a small group of members of the public who lined up here to see the queen's casket more than 48 hours before it's due to be rested on a raised platform, known as a catafalque, inside Westminster Hall in the Houses of Parliament.
Live updates: Queen Elizabeth II's remains to return to London, King Charles III arrives in Northern Ireland
"My plan was actually to come here on Wednesday morning but I was passing by and I saw all the blocked roads and security guards and I just decided to stay put," Nathakumaran, 56, said Tuesday as she politely guarded her No. 1 spot in the line.
Around midmorning Tuesday, there were four people behind her.
Queen Elizabeth II funeral: Your guide to Queen Elizabeth II's carefully planned funeral events, through Sept. 19
British authorities are preparing for millions of people to travel to central London to pay their respects to the late monarch, who died last week. Her casket will be placed in Westminster Hall until the morning of Sept. 19, the day of her funeral.
Authorities have cautioned that the line is expected to be long. Plans have been made for it to snake back along the River Thames for up to five miles.
"You will need to stand for many hours, possibly overnight, with very little opportunity to sit down as the queue will be continuously moving," the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport said in a statement, warning the public it could be an uncomfortable wait.
The beginning of the line is sandwiched between a small coffee shop that overlooks the River Thames and several portable toilets, about half a mile from Westminster Hall.
The Houses of Parliament, over the river, provide a backdrop.
Security staff keeping on eye on the area said that when the queen's lying in state begins Wednesday, those in line would be shepherded to Westminster Hall.
Nathakumaran, who works for a financial services company, said that she brought extra clothes and warm blankets, and energy bars if she gets hungry:
"My kids said, 'mother, are you sure you're going to make it through the whole time?' I said, 'yes, I am determined. I won't lose my spot.'"
Nathakumaran, who was raised in Sri Lanka but emigrated to the U.K. in the 1980s to study, said she has been "admiring" the queen since she was 10. Nathakumaran said her enthusiasm for the queen grew after Nathakumaran learned her great uncle was knighted by King George VI.