Lying-in-state 'The queues are part of the pageantry'

Transport for London expects up to 750,000 people could join the queue for the Queen's lying-in-state

People from Yorkshire who are travelling to see the Queen lying in state said they "couldn't have missed" the opportunity to pay their respects.

Michael Rhodes, from Harrogate, will catch the train to London on Wednesday evening and plans to queue through the night.

He said the journey is "part of the pageantry" and is looking forward to the atmosphere in the queue.

Rail companies have warned people to expect services to be busy.

Mr Rhodes, 67, will travel to Westminster Hall with his wife and his nephew and niece from Guiseley.

He said he felt "terribly sad" about the Queen's death and added he could not miss taking the time to pay his respects.

"The queues are part of the pageantry, people seem to be making friends with the people around them," he said.

"It will be a one-off to see the crown and the guards, it will be a beautiful sight."

Adrian Bower and his family have been to lay flowers in memory of Queen Elizabeth II

Adrian Bower from Grantham travelled to London with his wife Zoe and daughters Emily and Tilly.

The family laid tributes outside Buckingham Palace and Mr Bower said the sight of all the flowers was "stunning".

He said: "She's gifted us 70 years of unfaltering leadership, an investment in us as a country and a people, so the least we could do is come and say thank you."

Tilly wrote a card to Her Majesty which said: "I hope you can be happy with your husband."

Emily wrote a message in her card which said: "Thank you for protecting me."

David Mills has already booked seven coaches to take people from Yorkshire to London for the Queen's funeral

David Mills owns Yorkshire Rose Holidays company in Barnsley and has organised extra coaches to take people to London on Monday for the state funeral.

He said seven coaches, each carrying 45 passengers, have already been booked: "From the second the news [of the Queen's death] broke, we had messages and people ringing the office, we were getting emails asking if we were going down for the funeral.

"We are quite well known for going down for royal events. I like being part of the atmosphere down there."

He added: "I think a lot of people are choosing to go with us rather than on the train or public transport because they know that we will look after them and drop them off as close as we can."

Carol, 79, flew to London from Rome to make sure she could attend the procession of the Queen's coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall.

Carol, who grew up in Leeds, said: "I wanted to be here for this historic occasion."

She recalled the Queen's visit to Leeds in 1947 and said: "They passed in front of our street and Prince Philip got out of the car - which shocked people as it was against protocol at the time."

• Queen's lying-in-state: What to know before you join the queue

Rail companies that run services between Yorkshire and London have warned customers to expect the route to be busy in the days before the state funeral.

Andrew Commons, head of external affairs at East Midlands Railway, which runs services between south Yorkshire and the capital, said: "This is obviously a historic occasion and we are expecting queues at stations in London and in and around London.

"The advice to customers is to understand your journey before you set off and leave extra time to complete that journey."