War veteran, 96 – who saw the Queen’s grandfather lying in state in 1936 – among the last mourners to join the accessible queue before it permanently closed

•  Mourner Frank Wells was born six days before Queen Elizabeth II in April 1926
•  Wheelchair user travelled from home in Worthing, West Sussex, to pay respects
•  Frank recalled waiting in queue as a young boy to see George V’s lying-in-state
• The Queen’s funeral: All the latest Royal Family news and coverage

A war veteran of 96 who saw the Queen’s grandfather lying in state in 1936 was one of the last mourners to join the accessible queue before it permanently closed yesterday.

Frank Wells was born six days before the Queen in April 1926 and travelled from his home in Worthing, West Sussex, to pay his respects. 

He told The Mail on Sunday: ‘It feels like we grew up together, so I was determined to get here.’ 

Wheelchair user Frank Wells, 96, travelled from his home in Worthing, West Sussex and was one of the last mourners to join the accessible queue before it permanently closed yesterday

Frank, who uses a wheelchair, arrived in Westminster with his close friend Nick Beadnell an hour before the queue reached full capacity at 4.30pm.

‘Officials told us that we would be waiting six hours and I was ready to turn around, but Frank was not giving up,’ said Nick, 66. 

Frank, who is partially sighted, said he planned to use memories of George V’s lying-in-state to help him make sense of the outlines inside Westminster Hall.

‘I was nine when I saw the Queen’s grandfather lying in state. I remember queuing for hours and as a young boy it felt like an extremely long time. 

‘This queue feels very similar. People are very friendly, and it just shows how quickly you make friends.’

Prince William, the Prince of Wales, greeted people waiting in the queue to see the Queen lying in state at South Bank in London, on Saturday

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