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The Prince of Wales and Duke of Sussex have joined their cousins in a solemn vigil at their beloved grandmother's coffin.

Brothers William and Harry - both dressed in uniform - stood guard at the Queen's lying in state in Westminster Hall on Saturday evening as a stream of mourners filed past after queueing for hours.

Harry, who saw action on the front line during two tours of duty in Afghanistan, has previously been denied the chance to wear his military uniform as he publicly mourns, because he is no longer a working royal.

But royal sources said the King decided his youngest son could wear uniform for the vigil.

Despite being a former Army officer, Harry has been in civilian dress for official events, including walking behind the Queen's coffin on Wednesday.

William and Harry were joined in their silent tribute around the coffin by cousins Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and Lady Louise Windsor and her brother Viscount Severn.

On Friday evening, the Queen's children - Charles, the Duke of York, the Princess Royal and the Earl of Wessex - took part in their own vigil.

They were all dressed in uniform, with an exception made for disgraced Andrew, who is no longer a working royal, to wear his military uniform as a "special mark of respect" for the Queen.

© PAA 2022

More paramedics who can do more things are part of NSW Labor's election pitch as it seeks to wrest power from the Coalition government for the first time in 12 years.

Labor has announced a $150 million commitment for another 500 paramedics in rural and regional areas in its first term if it takes government.

Consultation would determine where paramedics are needed, and they would be upskilled for intensive and extended care roles that would hopefully ease pressure on emergency rooms.

"The NSW system cannot cope with another four years of Band-Aid solutions, it requires serious repair," Opposition Leader Chris Minns said.

Sunday's announcement is only the beginning of the "long-term, structural repairs" his party will take to the March election.

Labor's health spokesman Ryan Park said regional paramedics desperately need a resources injection to fix shortages that are pushing the ambulance network to its limit.

"It's like going to work with one hand tied behind your back."

"A Minns Labor government will begin the task of repairing that," Mr Park said.

The NSW government has invested billions in health infrastructure in recent years.

A further $2.8 billion was pledged in the June budget to continue building and redeveloping hospitals.

Close to $1.8 billion was allocated for NSW Ambulance to spend on new stations and staff, including 1858 new paramedics, over four years.

Whether that many paramedics can actually be recruited by then is unclear, with nurses and paramedics burning out.

Mr Minns has indicated his party's policies will focus more on the workforce than the workplace.

"We need to build up the profession, invest in our human capital, in our nurses and paramedics and frontline workers," Mr Minns said last week.

Unions representing an exhausted cohort of nurses, midwives and paramedics mounted pressure on the government in the lead up to the budget, which also included a $3000 payment for frontline health workers and a lift on the public sector wage rise cap to three per cent per annum.

Staff-patient ratios that nurses have pushed for have so far seen no firm commitment from either the government or Labor to introduce them.

The NSW government has established a taskforce to look at professional recognition and higher pay for paramedics across the state.

Labor says it will seek bipartisan support for an in-principle agreement to the outcomes of that taskforce.

A NSW Labor government would also seek to implement findings from a Victorian trial of highly-trained paramedic practitioners, if it goes ahead.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced the $20 million scheme last week, which is similarly a pitch to voters, however he has the benefit of incumbency at an election taking place in November.

Paramedic practitioners would attend more complex callouts, be able to give more medications, and use more advanced equipment than they currently do, under a model inspired by the UK.

© AAP 2022

Mourners squealed, cheered and broke down in tears after meeting the King and the Prince of Wales at close quarters during their surprise appearance at the public queue in central London.

Hundreds of people who had been waiting for more than 10 hours to see the Queen lying in state were warmly greeted by Charles and William beneath sunny skies on Lambeth Palace Road.

The royals arrived unexpectedly at around 12.30pm, sending shockwaves through a tired and bedraggled crowd waiting to pay their respects to the Queen.

As they emerged, people surged towards the metal barriers, keen to share a few words with the King and the heir to the throne.

Catherine Padbury, 28, broke down in tears, and the Prince of Wales paused to shake her hand and check on her welfare.

Miss Padbury, who was with her parents Laraine, 59, and David, 64, all from Colchester, Essex, told the PA news agency: "I just got completely overwhelmed that they came out to speak to us because they're mourning themselves, and to come out and spend the time talking to us just means so much.

"I think he (William) saw that I was crying, paused and asked how the night was, checked that I was OK and asked who I was with."

Fighting back tears, she added: "I hope that it's some comfort to them as well, when they see how much everyone loved Her Majesty."

Emma Parrish, 28, who was with her friend Bex Mould, 34, said it was a moment they would remember "forever" and said Charles made a quip about holding them up in the queue.

Ms Parrish, an e-learning content creator from Frome in Somerset, told PA: "We were literally at the barriers.

"He (Charles) was taking his time and actually apologised for holding us up, which was really sweet - really cute and funny.

"It was just a wonderful moment. We'll remember it forever."

She praised the royals for "actually taking the time to look right into our eyes and have an actual moment with each person".

Ms Mould, a teacher from Warminster in Wiltshire, added: "We're yet to pay our respects to Queen Elizabeth II, so to have been in the presence of a past monarch, a present monarch, and then a future monarch, is quite something to behold.

"On a day like this when the sun is shining, I feel dumbfounded."

She added: "I said to Prince Charles that his mother would be proud of him, because I've been watching him ever since last Thursday and I just think he's doing miraculously whilst dealing with grief.

"He said back, 'We were lucky to have her for 70 years'."

Karen Redford, 55, a former combat medic and police officer who was wearing several medals for her service, said meeting the royals was "very emotional".

Ms Redford told PA: "The monarchy is of major importance to me, and always has been.

"I've never been this close to either of them before.

"To see Prince William that close has just blown my mind. I'm a little bit shocked."

Carol-Anne Watson, 67, a retired nurse from Peterborough, said she expressed condolences to William, and described meeting him as "overwhelming".

"No matter how long we've queued, it just gives us an amazing end to the day - and it's not over yet," she said.

Early on Saturday morning, those waiting in the queue faced temperatures of 7C, at which time the official queue tracker advised the public not to make the journey - though it didn't deter them.

© PAA 2022