After twelve hours in the dark, cold and wet, Sonja Kimeswenger from Linz was able to say goodbye to her queen. She talks to the “Krone” about these emotional moments.
As the sun rises over London, those waiting along the so-called Queen’s Walk along the Thames talk together about their late monarch. People tell stories about the queen, rummage through memories and laugh at her humor, for which the 96-year-old was known far beyond the borders of Great Britain. Despite the sad occasion, it’s good to laugh together, Sonja Kimeswenger is also sure. When it is just after 6 a.m., she is still miles away from her destination, Westminster Hall. It’s cold, the wind is blowing and there’s hardly any progress. Five hours for 650 meters The sun only comes out hours later, and even in the afternoon Sonja reaches the bridge that is used to cross the Thames in the direction of Big Ben. She needs almost five hours for the last 650 meters. Because too many people are already waiting at this point, access to the queue is stopped for the time being. “It was worth every minute” When we meet Sonja at the exit of Westminster Hall after she was able to say goodbye to Elizabeth II in peace, she is upset and cries: “When you walk by and she’s lying there in the coffin, this great woman, this global icon, that’s extremely touching.” Despite the twelve-hour wait, it paid off for her: “I still can’t believe it. But the wait was absolutely worth every minute.”
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