King Charles thinks it is "remarkable" how many people queued to see his late mother Queen Elizabeth lying in state.

The late monarch's body was taken to Westminster Hall in London after she died in September, with around 250,000 filing past her coffin to pay their respects ahead of her funeral, and on Wednesday (14.12.22), her son returned to the parliamentary building for the first time to unveil a memorial plaque alongside private secretary, Sir Clive Alderton, and the late queen’s former right-hand man, Sir Edward Young.

Speaking to parliamentary staff who worked during the lying-in-state period, he said: "Did you have to usher them [the queuing public] away in the end? There were more than 200,000 in the end. Remarkable!"

The event was a historic occasion as it marked the first time a reigning monarch has ever unveiled a tribute to their predecessor and - following a round of applause from invited officials such as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Leader of the Opposition Sir Keir Starmer - The Lord Speaker, Lord Alcluith, later remarked that it had been the "biggest privilege" of his life to ensure that members of the public were able to pay their respects to the queen and paid tribute to the staff who had ensured it ran smoothly.

He said: "I was here the whole time. Lindsay [Hoyle] and I are the key holders to Westminster Hall and were here from beginning to end. What an honour. It was one of the most complex organisational tasks and the staff were absolutely fantastic."