WAUWATOSA, Wis. — Alison Trouy and her husband spent last Thursday morning touring the grounds of Buckingham Palace, one of London’s signature tourist attractions. Little did they know, they would witness a historic gathering later that evening.
“We went to the gift shop and bought a bunch of souvenirs,” Trouy said. “Then we came back to our hotel and my husband happened to turn on the news. We saw the queen — at that point, something was wrong.”
Trouy and her husband traveled to Paris, then London, while celebrating their anniversary. Just a few hours after taking a selfie outside the 315-year-old palace, the couple returned to Buckingham, standing shoulder to shoulder in the rain with thousands gathered to mourn Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
With life in the U.K. coming to an immediate halt, Trouy said she was unable to use her tickets Friday for a Buckingham Palace exhibit celebrating the queen’s Platinum Jubilee. She and her husband decided to travel west to join the thousands of people paying tribute outside Windsor Castle.
Trouy said she has followed news about royal family since she was a child, taking after her mother’s international interest. She said she looked up to the queen as one of only a few women in power on the international stage.
“To be able to pay tribute in person to this woman that I’ve respected for such a long time — as silly as it may be — it meant a lot to me,” Trouy said.
Trouy returned home to Wisconsin Saturday and said the experience is still sinking in, but she said she expects someday to look back and feel grateful for the timing of her trip to London.
“To be able to pay my respects and be a part of history was really special, but really heartbreaking at the same time,” Trouy said.
She recalled waking up well before dawn to watch royal weddings in years past; now, Trouy said she will be following from afar in the coming days as the U.K. celebrates the life of the iconic queen.