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Tipton couple heading to London to see Queen lying in state

A "heartbroken" royalist couple from Tipton are bracing themselves for crowds on Friday when they head down to London to see the Queen lying in state.

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Wendy and Sean are off to London to queue to see the Queen lying in state

Wendy Dellicott-Smith and her husband, Sean Smith, describe themselves as "true royalists" and were "devastated" when they saw the news that the Queen had passed away.

46-year-old Wendy said: "We're utterly devastated. We'd just got back in from work and we put the TV on, to see Huw Edwards announce her death.

"We're heartbroken. We're big royalists and we support all of them - we're incredibly proud to sing God Save The Queen at the rugby or football.

"She's the stalwart of this country, she's always been there. Whenever you see a picture of her, it always makes you smile, with those sparkly eyes and lovely little grin.

"The nation has lost a massive part of itself."

Wendy and Sean at the Trooping of the Colour in London, earlier this year

It won't be the first royal event for the couple from Great Bridge, who went to the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012, as well as a Trooping of the Colour this year, where Prince William took the salute from the Irish Guards regiment, of which he is honorary head, and presented them with their new colours.

And today, Wendy, a logistics operator, and Sean, a draughtsman, are heading by train down to London to pay their respects to the Queen whom they have revered their whole lives.

They will not be booking a hotel, and will instead queue through the night and hope to get a train back on Saturday.

"This is something we feel we need to do," Wendy said.

Her mother, Diane Dellicott, turns 80 next month and was only 10 when King George VI died. Like her husband Peter, Diane remembers the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and was "quite upset" when she found out about her death.

Wendy added: "We are also going on behalf of my parents who are elderly and unable to travel, and our friends who have also been deeply affected by Her Majesty's passing."

The couple are preparing for a punishing queue, as the Government warns of 30-hour waits for people who want to pay their respects at the Palace of Westminster.

During the lying in state period, Her Majesty The Queen’s closed coffin rests on a raised platform, which is called a catafalque, inside Westminster Hall in the Palace of Westminster - also known as the Houses of Parliament.

Members of the public attending will file past the catafalque to pay their respects, which they can do until it closes at 6.30am on Monday.

The BBC’s red button service will provide a live feed from Westminster Hall and ITV and Sky will be running extensive coverage.

To check the current location of the back of the queue, go to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Twitter account at twitter.com/DCMS.

Government guidance on lying in state is available at gov.uk/government/publications/attending-ceremonial-events-for-the-lying-in-state-and-the-state-funeral-of-her-majesty-the-queen/her-majesty-the-queens-lying-in-state-at-the-palace-of-westminster-houses-of-parliament.