About a quarter of a million people saw Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin as she lay in state for four days at Westminster Hall in central London, according to preliminary figures released by the British government.

Members of the public wanting to pay their final respects after the queen’s death on Sept. 8 had to stand in a line – or queue – that grew so long over four days that wait times reached 24 hours at one point. The end of the line even had to be temporarily closed, but all that did was create a queue for the queue.

Initial estimates suggest that more than 250,000 people went through the parliamentary building to see the queen’s coffin, Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan told British broadcasters early Tuesday. While some who entered Westminster Hall were able to bypass the queue – including lawmakers and their guests, accredited journalists and foreign dignitaries invited to the queen’s funeral – most would have had to queue, in many cases overnight.

If confirmed, the figure would be significantly lower than estimates floated by some officials earlier. Reuters reported Thursday that about 750,000 people were expected to file past the queen’s coffin in Westminster Hall. Guinness World Records had said the line could “well be part of a record-breaking event.”... Read More: Washington Post