What an honor it was to file past the casket of Queen Elizabeth II today and to even set foot in that great hall in the Palace of Westminster that dates back to 1097. My trip to London was a resounding success.

Everything worked out on this trip. If you’re still hoping to file past the Queen, let me offer this advice: bring a jacket and gloves. I looked at the lows in the forecast and thought it would not be too bad…but the coldest part of the day was around 4:00 am and it was quite chilly to be standing outside, even in lines that were frequently moving.

I want to again offer great thanks to all the thousands of people who mobilized a plan that has been ready to precisely execute for many years to honor Queen Elizabeth II and allow the hundreds of thousands of her subjects and her admirers to also pay tribute. The system worked well.

Once you reach the front of the line, just outside Westminster Palace, you go through airport-style security. My bag was permitted through, but very carefully checked by hand and again by a metal detector.

I was also patted down. Liquids of any kind are not permitted. I had some 0.5oz hand sanitizer in little packets from Virgin Atlantic that were taken.

Once past security, there was a final short queue to enter Westminster. Ushers solemnly nodded as I entered via a side door onto the landing of the grand staircase that moments later you will walk down to pay your respects to the Queen. In my case, I got to stay an extra couple of minutes because there was a change of guard (this occurs every 20 minutes…try to stand like a statue for longer than that…).

I was delighted that there was total silence. Everyone was respectful. No selfies or pictures. The woman in front of me broke down in tears when she saw the casket. Many bowed or genuflected as they walked by. The jewels on the crown sitting on top of the casket glistened in the light.

It was a beautiful tribute to a woman who performed her duty for so long, so well.

As an American, I hold Queen Elizabeth II in such high regard not because she was my Queen, but because she dedicated her life to public service and distinguished herself from her peers (indeed, so many of her family members) by reflecting the spotlight off herself and by being that still, quiet, yet strong voice of continuity that spanned 15 prime ministers and the evolution of the British Empire to The Commonwealth of Nations.

Elizabeth II stands in a unique position as having been groomed almost her entire life to be Queen. When Edward VIII abdicated in 1936, Elizabeth was 10 years old. As the firstborn of George VI, she was next in line to the throne and even her youth was centered on preparation for what was to come. The words on her 21st birthday remain so prescient:

“I declare before you all with my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and to the service of our great imperial family, to which we all belong. But I shall not have strength to carry out this resolution alone, unless you join in it with me, as I now invite you to do. I know that your support will be unfairly given. God help me to make good my vow, and God bless all of you who are willing to share in it.”

We live in such a “me first” generation (and admittedly, I can be guilty of this too), obsessed with self-gratification, personal autonomy, and a decadent lifestyle. Our celebrity-obsessed culture fills a void that the monarchy, in a much more benign way, helps to fill. As C.S. Lewis quipped:

“Where men are forbidden to honour a king they honour millionaires, athletes, or film-stars instead: even famous prostitutes or gangsters. For spiritual nature, like bodily nature, will be served; deny it food and it will gobble poison.”

It still hits me that Queen Elizabeth II was on the throne before my mother was born. That her reign was longer than many people live. And as her annual Christmas messages reminded us each year, she stood as a beacon of strength and familiarity in a world that was indeed changing so fast.

Why do I like the monarchy and all the religious trappings of that tradition as an American? Because it reminds us that there is something bigger and greater than ourselves.

“Grief is the price we pay for love.”

For the rest of my life, I’ll look back on the last 24 hours with great appreciation and admiration. I shall be up early to watch the funeral on Monday and in the meantime, invite you to reflect upon the unique honor we all share to live our lives in service to others, as Queen Elizabeth II did.

Now I’m going to sleep:

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

How long did you queue then?

I read it has been almost 14 hours …

My wait ended up being about 12 hours.

+10 virtue signaling points awarded. Congrats!

What does that even mean (to you, because it means nothing to everyone else)?

I wasn’t amused by the comment.

Well if that’s all it takes to make you happy, by all means queue up everywhere. Everyone is quirky in their own way, and happy, if quirky people are better than unhappy and straight.

Perhaps there are other queues in LA you can join. Will someone need to sleep in a casket for you?

I didn’t do it to make me happy. I did it out of respect.

The queen was fondly remembered because she was a blank slate, not having strong opinions on anything, or at least not ones she shared publicly. Similar to all the Asian women that white guys fetishize. No strong opinions.

Where does the respect come from? Looking up to her as a grandmother maybe, fond, warm memories but not sure why anyone who didn’t grow up close to her would care.

All really weird for me to process. Another example of how easily manipulated people can be and why religion still does so well in this world.

Fair enough. I tried to explain my thought process above and don’t really know how to add to it. I do udnersatnd that a monarchy and this particular Queen do not appeal to many.

Matthew – happy you had a good trip and got to pay your respects.

This topic is touchy because the Queen was a symbol of colonization due to her position. When she became Queen, most of Africa was still colonized. In her life she didn’t do much to denounce the evils of imperialism. Large swaths of the world have nothing but ill-will towards the head of the British Empire.

I understand not bringing up these topics in a blog as it’s a charged topic, but wanted to drop my 2c 🙂

Thank you for your comment and we certainly can discuss the difficult issues of colonization as the Empire waned, including the Mau Mau rebellion in Kenya.

Awesome. So glad you were able to get inside to see the Queen. I too have a great admiration for the Queen. I wish I could have flown to London too and paid my respects in person.

You’ve misquoted her speech. The first sentence doesn’t make sense, and the penultimate sentence is a lot funnier than you (and she) intended.

@ Matthew: I am so glad that you made it. Great memories to cherish!

It looks like you flew B6 to head back to the US. I imagine that are already in NY.

Thank you Matthew for the effort extended to go and the effort to write such a warm post. I particularly enjoyed the Lewis quote. You’ve allowed us once again to go vicariously through you. I’m grateful.

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