MPs and other parliamentary staff are able to skip the long queues to file past the coffin, which will rest in the medieval hall until Monday morning.

Westminster Hall usually acts not only as a place for political debate but also as something of a main thoroughfare through the sprawling Houses of Parliament.

But in ages past it has seen historic moments including the trial of King Charles I and the address of Nelson Mandela.

Robert Goodwill, MP for Scarborough and Whitby, was among Privy Council members in attendance for the ceremony on Wednesday to mark the beginning of the lying-in-state.

He said: “It was a great honour to be there.

“The experience of being in Westminster Hall is itself breathtaking. It was a really very moving experience.

“The atmosphere was - tense isn’t the right word - it was heavy. You could feel it was an amazing, historic moment.

“The way the military treated her coffin with such respect and pageantry - I felt so priveliged to be attending.”

Yvette Cooper, Labour MP for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford, said: “It really is a moment in history and it’s a chance to say thank you to the Queen who has been such a constant in all our lives. She showed such selfless kindness to our country.

“I always see myself as a child of the Silver Jubilee and we thought at that time she’d been on the throne forever.

“She was a constant in our lives, very much our forever Queen.

“To have her resting in Parliament feels the right thing to do.

“We need to say a huge thank you to the guards, the police and volunteers who have made it possible for everyone to pay tribute while staying safe.”

Ms Cooper met the Queen on many occasions, including being invited to take tea with her after leaving the cabinet.

Clive Betts, MP for Sheffield South East, said: “It was an incredible event, a credit to the Parliamentary authorities who have organised it extremely well. A very dignified, and sombre occasion.

“She was someone who had a sense of humour, a warmth and an interest in what was happening in Sheffield.”

Thirsk and Malton MP Kevin Hollinrake said: “To see the commitment of everyone whether it be the guards, or the doorkeepers – and the people who were there, the general public, is very emotional.

"The chap in front of me was of the Muslim faith and he went down in prayer in front of her coffin. His Queen, his country, his religion and he did it in his way.

"We live flawed lives, make mistakes and pick ourselves up again. But despite so many things the Queen had difficulties with, she never put a foot wrong.

"She encourages us to raise our game and be more like her. She never put herself first.

"The way we do pageantry and ceremony – I can’t suppose many countries could surpass what we have done over the past few weeks.

"Westminster Hall is a big room – it sounds a stupid thing to say, but it’s so vast that it doesn’t really have a modern day purpose.

"It takes a huge person to fill that room, and that’s what the Queen does.

"It seems tailor made for Her Majesty."

The Queen: Yorkshire MPs pay tribute in Westminster Hall vigil