Tin foil, tents and a long, cold wait

They are cold, slightly hungry but undoubtedly defiant.

With 24 hours to go before the Queen Mother's funeral, a 20-strong group of her staunchest supporters have claimed the prime positions to view events at Westminster Abbey tomorrow.

Some are veterans of major royal occasions and they are easy to spot. They are wrapped in tin foil, have sleeping bags and protect themselves with bright canvas tents.

Others are less prepared. Bill Mitchell, 61, of Bethnal Green began his vigil opposite the Abbey at six last night wearing only a dark suit. As temperatures fell, the former civil servant borrowed a tent and protected his lower body with a paper sack he found by the roadside. "I have rung my wife and asked her to bring more clothes," he said. "It has been surprisingly cold. But I was determined to be here and by tomorrow it will have been worth it."

Margaret Mallorie, 70, claimed a prime spot after travelling from Wetherby in Yorkshire. "My family think I am mad but I felt I had to be here," she said. "I wanted to show support for the royal family and the Queen. We have set up a little community here and we are all helping each other as best we can."

Vicky Maidment, 34, of Harlow, arrived at 10.30pm to lead an advance party of 10 supporters This morning she was ringing her children's schools to explain why they will be absent. "They insisted on coming," she said. "Davina is 12 and David is nine but they know how important this is. We are hoping to see the coffin moved and we know we probably won't see much else but we felt it was enough to be a part of it."

Almost 150,000 are believed to have filed past her coffin in Westminster Hall.

The vast queue of mourners yesterday snaked from Westminster Hall back across Lambeth Bridge to the Millennium Wheel.

At its height at about 2pm, people stood five-deep in a line stretching from Westminster Hall to London Bridge. Five hours later, the queue was shrinking and the line moving more quickly. By 5am the queue was gone.

Carrying a flask of hot tea and the leftovers of Sunday lunch, Edward Plunkett-Chekemian, 30, and Victoria Brook, 31, both from Fulham, were prepared for a long wait. They expected to queue for seven hours but filed through in 90 minutes.

Mr Plunkett-Chekemian, who works for the Naval and Military Club, said: "She was there for my grandparents. They said that the example she set in wartime London gave everyone else courage. I was always taught to respect the royal family."

Paul Helliar, 31, from Braintree, Essex, was with his two daughters Katie, five months, and Lucy, three. He said: "We wanted to bring the children here to be part of history. This is something we will never see again and something we can tell them about when they are grown-up. Lucy certainly knew what it was about. She said 'Goodbye, Queen Mum' as we left the Hall."

Sheila Vijeyarasa, 25, an accountant from Sydney, Australia, said: "Before I came to this country I did not know much about the Queen Mother, but I have been overwhelmed by the public reaction to her death."

Oswaldo Muni, a student from King Cross, said: "She was wicked, a lovely woman. I loved my Queen Mum - she even did Ali G impersonations. How cool is that for a 101 year old woman?"

For Doris Speer, 63, the visit was the fulfilment of a promise made to her husband John, a cleaner for the Queen Mother for 35 years.

Sgt Chris Fowles. in charge of crowd control on Lambeth Bridge, said: "There are thousands queuing but I have not seen any trouble at all. It is a testament to their respect for the Queen Mother."