- Jessica Stevens queued for eight hours to pay tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II lying in state.
- She got chatting to Aiden O'Neill, who was standing in front of her and her family in the long line.
- The pair fell in love and is now buying a house together.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jessica Stevens. It has been edited for length and clarity.
My family and I have always been royalists. We were saddened by the news on September 8, 2022, that Queen Elizabeth II had died at 96.
Her coffin lay in state in Westminster Hall in London before her funeral. My mom and Aunt Louise decided to go and pay their respects, along with tens of thousands of others who adored the queen.
They knew the line would be long after seeing it on the news. People queued for up to 24 hours to file past the coffin.
"I'm jealous," I said, when they told me their plans. "I wish I could come." But I had to go to my job as a teaching assistant the following morning. I was concerned I wouldn't get back home in time.
"You'll regret it if you don't," Mom replied. At that moment, I had the feeling that I needed to go. I wanted to honor the queen, but, as a single woman who was 23 at the time, I had a premonition that I might meet someone special.
It was strange because I didn't believe in fate — at least back then.
Unlike Aiden and his friend, we were prepared
We traveled to London by train, joining the queue around 6:30 p.m. British people love to stand in line, and we laughed about it. You had to stand in line in one queue to get a wristband to join another one.
A couple of guys stood in front of us in the second queue. They introduced themselves as Aiden O'Neill and Harry Swain. It was clear they weren't prepared for the wait. They'd thought it would last an hour or two. Aiden, now 28, wasn't even wearing a sweater.
Meanwhile, we'd come prepared with coats, sweaters, and food. My mom and aunt felt sorry for them and gave them a KitKat.
Soon, we were chatting away. It passed the time. They were electricians temporarily staying in London to complete a job.
I found myself attracted to Aiden. It was all very silly. Aunt Louise covertly texted me, saying, "Oh, I bet you like him!" He was pretty quiet, though. I didn't know if he felt the same.
The five of us talked throughout the night. My aunt friended them on Facebook. She was very smart and didn't want Aiden to get away.
The line moved slowly. It was hard standing up for eight hours. But we did it. We finally entered the hall at 2.30 a.m. It was emotional when we paid our respects. Mom, my aunt, and I shed a tear.
We met Aiden and Harry outside and discussed how moving it was. Then we exchanged hugs and said goodbye. Aiden's hug was fun and nice. He's a good hugger and squeezed me tight.
Aiden wrote to King Charles III to tell him how we met
I got home a few hours later, slept two hours, and went to work. I woke up to see that Aiden had friended me on Facebook. It gave me an excuse to text. I sent him a livestream clip showing him walking past the coffin. "You can show it to your granddad," I wrote.
Next, we started talking on FaceTime. We arranged to meet up two weeks later. Aiden lived 200 miles away from me. I hoped things would get serious quickly because he traveled all that way.
I was right. We became an item. He's handsome, kind and considerate. Everyone in my family loves him. I think his family feels the same about me.
Our romance is going strong. Over the last two years, we've done so many things together. We went to a wedding in Ohio and visited Niagara Falls. It was important to us to stand in the crowd in London and watch the coronation of King Charles III in May 2023.
Aiden wrote to the king to tell him our story. We're yet to get a reply. But we know he is busy with other things.
As for us, we're about to buy our first home together. We're happy and glad we paid tribute to our queen that day.
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