Sections of the huge queue of people lining up to view the Queen lying in state had something – or rather, someone – to distract them from the long wait ahead on Friday.
Photos shared on social media show members of the public queuing alongside David Beckham as he waited to pay his respects.
Dressed in a dark coat and baker boy cap, it didn’t take long for word to get round that the 47-year-old former footballer was in the queue.
According to one Twitter user, Becks had been queuing for 10 hours, with some reports suggesting he joined the queue at 2am on Friday morning.
One Twitter user wrote: “My best friend’s Mum has been directly in front of him the whole time and he’s been queuing so far for 10 hours just like her.”
Another tweeted: “The Queue is now full of people trying to photograph David Beckham and forgetting to actually move onwards.
“It’s madness! I feel a bit sorry for him, but he’s taking it very well.
“It’s made me almost forget that we’ve been in The Queue almost TWELVE HOURS though.”
Following the Queen’s death, David paid tribute to her in an emotional Instagram post, describing her loss as “devastating”.
“I’m truly saddened by the death of Her Majesty, The Queen,” he wrote. “What an outpouring of love and respect we saw for the Platinum Jubilee for her life of service.
“How devastated we all feel today shows what she has meant to people in this country and around the world. How much she inspired us with her leadership. How she comforted us when times were tough. Until her last days she served her country with dignity and grace.
“This year she would have known how loved she was. My thoughts and prayers are with our Royal Family.”
Among other celebrities spotted in the queue was TV presenter Susanna Reid.
The Good Morning Britain anchor attended the historic event on Thursday with her mum, Sue, and said she had “experienced a moment in history”.
Detailing her experience on Twitter, she said: “Evening – along with my lovely mum and her very good friend, I have just experienced a moment in history – witnessing the Queen lying in state in Westminster Hall. At once majestic and peaceful.”
Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby were also spotted at Westminster Hall as they paid their respects to the late monarch.
The presenting duo, who have been hosting special tribute editions of ITV’s This Morning to the late Queen this week, were dressed in black as they queued for the historic occasion.
Sharon Osbourne was also seen among the thousands of mourners.
On Friday, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport paused the queue to Westminster Hall for “at least six hours” after Southwark Park reached capacity, with the estimated queueing time for mourners having risen to at least 14 hours.
Some of those in the queue will witness the King, the Princess Royal, the Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex hold a 15-minute vigil around their mother’s coffin at around 7.30pm on Friday.
For those who are not able to attend in person, a continuous livestream of the Queen lying in state has been set up by a number of broadcasters including the BBC and ITV.
Thousands have tuned in to watch mourners file solemnly past the coffin to pay their respects.