LONDON — Britain’s King Charles III and wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, are visiting Wales on Friday, hours before the new monarch and his siblings are scheduled to stand vigil around the coffin of the late Queen Elizabeth II in London.

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According to Reuters and The Independent, the king, along with Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, will stand vigil for 15 minutes beginning at 7:30 p.m. (2:30 p.m. EDT) in Westminster Hall, where the queen is lying in state.

Meanwhile, thousands of people continued to wait for their chance to pay tribute to the late queen, standing in a line that reached 5 miles long, The Associated Press reported.

Here are the latest updates:

Update 12:25 p.m. EDT Sept. 16: The wait time to see the queen’s coffin in London has topped 24 hours, according to officials.

Update 12:20 p.m. EDT Sept. 16: Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, thanked the public for its support on Friday in a statement released by Buckingham Palace.

“The Queen’s passing has left an unimaginable void in all our lives,” he said. “May God bless Her Majesty and may her memory be long cherished even as the baton she has carried for these past 70 years now passes to the next generation and to my brother, Charles. Long Live The King.”

Update 10:45 a.m. EDT Sept. 16: Charles and Camilla have left Cardiff Castle for a return to Buckingham Palace.

Update 9:15 a.m. EDT Sept. 16: The king and queen consort arrived to cheers Friday at Cardiff Castle after Charles addressed the Welsh Parliament.

The couple will conduct audiences at the castle and attend a reception later Friday for local charities, BBC News reported.

Update 8:30 a.m. EDT Sept. 16: While addressing the Welsh Parliament on Friday, Charles said the country “could not have been closer to my mother’s heart.”

“Wales had a special place in her heart,” he said in Welsh.

The king held the title of Prince of Wales from 1958 until earlier this month, when he passed the title on to his eldest son following his mother’s death. He sad Friday that he had “immense gratitude” for having been in the position.

“Having visited the senate regularly since it was founded and having heard your heartfelt words today, I know we all share the deepest commitment ... to the welfare of the people of this land and that we will all continue to work together to that end,” he said.

Update 8:05 a.m. EDT Sept. 16: The king and queen consort have arrived at the Welsh Parliament to receive condolences and meet with Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford, according to The Guardian.

Update 7:48 a.m. EDT Sept. 16: The king and queen consort greeted people outside Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff, Wales, after attending a prayer service in honor of the late queen, according to The Guardian.

Next, they are scheduled to visit the Welsh Parliament, Wales Online reported. The king also is expected to meet with Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford at Cardiff Castle ahead of a government reception, according to ITV.

Update 7:08 a.m. EDT Sept. 16: The late queen’s eight grandchildren are scheduled to stand vigil around her coffin Saturday, the AP reported Friday. They include Princes William and Harry, the king’s sons; Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips, Princess Anne’s children; Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Prince Andrew’s daughters; and Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount Severn, Prince Edward’s children, according to the news agency.

Update 6:41 a.m. EDT Sept. 16: The king and queen consort have arrived at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff, Wales, for a prayer service in honor of the late queen, according to the AP.

Original report: Late Thursday, the 5-mile line to see the queen’s coffin stretched from Parliament to beyond the Tower Bridge, the AP reported. The government announced midday Friday that new people would be barred from joining the queue for six hours, according to the news agency.

The public viewing, which began at 5 p.m. Wednesday (noon EDT), will continue 24 hours a day until 6:30 a.m. Monday, the BBC and Buckingham Palace reported.

The state funeral for the late monarch, who died Sept. 8 at her Balmoral estate in Scotland, is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. (6 a.m. EDT) Monday following a procession to Westminster Abbey, the BBC reported. Afterward, the U.K. will hold a nationwide, two-minute moment of silence in the queen’s honor, according to the AP. Following another procession to the Wellington Arch, a hearse will take the coffin to Windsor, where the queen will be interred alongside her late husband, Prince Philip, in a private service, the news outlets reported.

– The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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