WAIT OF HISTORY AS BRITS HONOR QUEEN

Teary eyes fill streets at Westminster wake

WITH sun rays seeping in through the stained glass windows of Westminster Hall, I stepped into the iconic site that has served as the backdrop for some of the world’s most historic events to pay my respects to Britain’s longestreigning monarch.

Despite the chattering crowds outside that lined the streets of London, pushing wait times past the recordbreaking 22-hour mark, you could hear a pin drop inside.

Mourners who came to witness the queen lying in state Friday were mostly dressed in black, and many took the opportunity during their threeminute visit to bow to the queen’s coffin — a gesture of deference passed down through the generations.

Other visitors proudly wore their own military honors.

While I’ve never considered myself much of a royalist, I couldn’t deny the sense of gratitude and emotion the queen’s coffin evoked in me.

Seeing the hall — a place that has witnessed numerous momentous events over the centuries, including former

Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s lying-in-state in 1965, Nelson Mandela’s 1996 address and

Queen Elizabeth the queen mother’s lying-instate in 2002 — I couldn’t help but be reminded of the history that has cemented Britain’s legacy.

After watching the crowd make its way from the south-facing entrance, past the coffin and over to the north-facing exit, one thing that struck me was the overwhelming sense of emotion.

“When I saw [the queen’s coffin], I couldn’t help but burst into tears,” Sharon Martin told The Post. “I still can’t believe our precious ruler is no longer with us.”

Martin was far from the only one to be moved to tears. There are four dedicated stewards placed at each corner of the hall to hand out tissues to distraught mourners, with supplies running out every three minutes or so.

But the 53-year-old royalist, who hails from the eastern county of Essex, was one of the fortunate few who managed to witness the changing of the guards around her majesty’s coffin. “I felt so lucky to see that happen,” Martin said. “I love that about us Brits — we stick to tradition. It’s there for a reason, and we should continue to honor it. Simple as.”

British Army veteran Keith Walsh, who waited nearly 10 hours to see her majesty’s coffin, said he felt a deep sense of honor standing in line for the better part of the day.

“I came here wearing my Northern Ireland medal,” Walsh, 57, told The Post. “I served in the Army for five years, and I did two years in Northern Ireland in the ’80s.”

“For veterans, first and foremost, we knew her as the boss,” Walsh said. “She was our boss — commander in chief of the armed forces. So there’s more than a tie of nationality to it.

“It’s the service that we put forward for her. We took an oath of allegiance to her majesty the queen, her heirs, and successors, and for most veterans, that oath will be there ’til the day you pass away.”

Her majesty’s coffin was brought to Westminster Hall on Wednesday, with the procession being led by her eldest son, King Charles III.

Built over 900 years ago by William II, the historic building served what was thought to be the largest hall in Europe at the time.

The landmark opened its doors to the general public Wednesday and will remain open for 24 hours each day before closing at 6:30 a.m. Monday — the day of her majesty’s state funeral.

Each day since the lines began, royal fans ignored warnings of immense wait times as they patiently inched closer to Westminster Hall in a queue snaking around the center of the capital.

“I will wait as long as it takes. I’m not going anywhere,” said Sarah Slater, 67, who hails from the storied city of Canterbury.

“I’ve made a day of it. I knew what I was getting myself into and I’m perfectly happy with that. The wait has been really difficult and I’ve got three more hours to go. But guess what? I’ll wait and wait and wait. It’s the least I could do.”

For many, a chance to spend minutes with the coffin means hours of discomfort in chilly temperatures and rain. Hundreds of mourners aching or experiencing other medical issues from the waits have sought out medics.

“We’ve been very busy today,” a

Saint John’s Ambulance medic told The Post on Friday. “I think lots of people experienced severe discomfort, aches and pain from being in the queue for so long. We’ve had quite a few people feeling faint — and actually fainting today, too.”

But despite the daunting lines, each mourner I spoke with said they would do it again to have the opportunity to pay their respects to the late queen.

“The queen was such a strong figure. She proved to me when I was a young girl that anything and everything was possible,” Kam Kaur, 37, told The Post.

“She was given such a huge responsibility at an incredibly young age. But we never heard her complain, never saw her in any distress. Yet still, she did everything with such elegance and grace,” added Kaur, who waited eight hours in line to see her majesty’s coffin.

“She was a true inspiration. There will not be another queen in my life, but [I] feel beyond blessed to know for 37 years of my life, she was my queen.”