HOUSTON – The whole world, including Houstonians are saying goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II.
The Queen died last week after more than 70 years on the throne.
“It’s a pretty major deal, like the biggest thing the country has seen really,” Paul Wolfe said while reflecting on Queen Elizabeth as her coffin arrived in Edinburgh, Scotland on Sunday.
“There’s a lot going on. They declared a bank holiday on Monday and all day long they’ve been closing off streets. There are helicopters in the air,” he said.
Wolfe traveled to the country with his wife before the queen died and like thousands of mourners, they are hoping to bid farewell to Britain’s longest reigning monarch.
“We are going up to the Highlands and then coming back down. Then, we are traveling to London and will be there at the same time the funeral is happening, so in a way, we are following the events as they go through the country,” he said.
Queen Elizabeth’s coffin will rest in the throne room of the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Mourners lined the roads as the cortege drove through the city.
“I feel like she was the rock of this country. She was always there, dedicated her life and service. I think that means a lot. It’s strange to think that finally with her passing the torch will be passed,” he said.
Paul says the Queen’s death is a momentous occasion.
“She was just ever-present. She’s on the currency, she’s on the chocolate we eat. It’s woven in the very fabric of this country,” he said.
On Tuesday, the Queen’s coffin will be flown to London where she will be laid to rest.
The state funeral will take place on Sept. 19 at Westminster Abbey.