All About the Queen

By Andria Dilling, Staff writer | September 19, 2022

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Tributes to the Queen.
Tributes to the Queen at Holyrood.
People walked slowly up to Holyrood, waiting to place flowers outside.
Holyroodhouse awaits the arrival of the queen.
Walking the Royal Mile to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, a few hours in advance of the queen’s coffin arriving there.
Walking the Royal Mile to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, a few hours in advance of the queen’s coffin arriving there.
Walking the Royal Mile to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, a few hours in advance of the queen’s coffin arriving there.
Tributes to the Queen at Holyrood.
Walking the Royal Mile to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, a few hours in advance of the queen’s coffin arriving there.
The Royal Mile lined with policemen and snipers. It was the start of the UK’s largest security operation in history.
The Royal Mile lined with policemen and snipers. It was the start of the UK’s largest security operation in history.
Holyroodhouse awaits the arrival of the queen.
Snipers perched on roofs up and down Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.
Scores of media correspondents waited outside the palace for the queen’s arrival.
Windows at the department store Harvey Nichols mourned the queen.
Thousands lined up on the sides of the highway into Edinburgh, as the queen’s coffin made its way from Balmoral to Holyroodhouse.
Thousands lined up on the sides of the highway into Edinburgh, as the queen’s coffin made its way from Balmoral to Holyroodhouse.
The queen’s coffin followed by her daughter Princess Anne.
The queen’s coffin followed by her daughter Princess Anne.
Newspapers were all about the queen.
A church in St. Andrews gives thanks to the queen and offers livestreaming of one of the services in her memory.
A church in St. Andrews gives thanks to the queen and offers livestreaming of one of the services in her memory.
A church in St. Andrews gives thanks to the queen and offers livestreaming of one of the services in her memory.
Outside Buckingham Palace in London, visitors are asked to place flowers in the Green Park across the street.
Outside Buckingham Palace in London, visitors are asked to place flowers in the Green Park across the street.
Buzz writer Andria Frankfort with David Dilling outside of Buckingham Palace.
Outside Buckingham Palace in London, visitors are asked to place flowers in the Green Park across the street.
Media tents lined the street outside Buckingham Palace.
Massive floral tributes in the Green Park.
Massive floral tributes in the Green Park.
Massive floral tributes in the Green Park.
Every window and surface paid tribute to the queen.

My two weeks in Scotland and the UK were supposed to have been all about golf courses, palace tours, and teatimes. That was before Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II died.

In the course of an afternoon - from 12:30 Scotland time, when Buckingham Palace announced that the queen was not doing well, until 6:30 that evening when it was announced she had passed away at Balmoral Castle in Scotland – our trip shifted focus. It was all about Queen Elizabeth.

For sure, at least the women of the eight couples I was traveling with were already intrigued with The Royals. But once the queen’s death was announced, and the hotel bar stopped playing music as we sat there, and a hostess quietly informed each table what had occurred, we realized we were witnessing history.

Incredibly, our itinerary coincided with that of the queen. We were in Edinburgh the day the caravan carrying her coffin made its way through the city to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official royal residence in Scotland. Along with thousands of others, we placed flowers outside Holyrood, and we stopped on the side of the highway from Edinburgh to St. Andrews to pay our respects to the queen and Princess Anne following behind.

And then we were in London when the queen’s body lay in state at Westminster Hall. Our hotel happened to be less than a block from Buckingham Palace, giving us another front-row seat to an extraordinary moment. Hours after the queen’s coffin traveled with King Charles III, Prince William, and Prince Harry to Westminster Hall, we stood outside the palace, in the exact spot where the long walk began.

We left London two days before Monday’s funeral (10 days after the queen’s death), our tours of Holyrood and Buckingham Palace having been cancelled. We’ll have to go back for those. But what an experience we had, just by chance.