Clark by-passes queues to pay last respects to Queen Mother

7.20am - By LUCY WILKINS

LONDON - New Zealand's Prime Minister paid her last respects to the Queen Mother today as she lay in state at Westminster Hall.

Helen Clark by-passed queues of thousands of people, many of whom had been waiting up to four hours, when she arrived by police escort at Westminster Hall about 4pm Monday (3am today NZT).

Dressed totally in black, Miss Clark spent less than ten minutes in the hall.

Speaking afterwards in the shadow of Westminster Abbey where she will attend the funeral tomorrow, Miss Clark described the occasion as "a one-in-one-hundred-year event".

"It was a very solemn feeling and wonderful to see so many tens of thousands of people waiting to file past.

"The Queen Mother has been there not only through my lifetime, but that of my parents."

Westminster officials have estimated that about 135,000 people have queued to pay their last respects since the Queen Mother's coffin was transferred to London from Windsor Castle where she died nine days ago at the age of 101.

During the weekend, some people had to endure 12-hour waits in the 3.2km-long queue.

"I think she had a soft spot for New Zealand," Miss Clark said.

"She first came to New Zealand in 1927 when my father was only five years old. She was mobbed by the crowds then. She came again in the '50s and '60s and loved the fishing."

Miss Clark said there was a "special feeling" for the Queen Mother in New Zealand and Australia. She had decided to attend the funeral after speaking to Australian Prime Minister John Howard.

Miss Clark will attend the funeral with High Commissioner Russell Marshall. Her outfit would be entirely black, including a black skirt and hat, she said.

- NZPA

Feature: The Queen Mother 1900-2002