'Wow, I was there': B.C. man who flew to London for Queen's funeral speaks on experience
A Metro Vancouver man who booked his trip to London within hours of learning of Queen Elizabeth II's death made it to Westminster Hall just in time to see the late monarch lying in state.
Gurjeet Singh spoke to CTV News Vancouver shortly after he finished paying his respects Sunday. He said he landed in the U.K. around 10 a.m. local time and heard that officials were planning to close the miles-long queue to view the Queen's coffin.
"We got on the train as fast as possible to our hotel, I took a quick shower, grabbed my bag, grabbed all the protein bars and snacks and water I could grab and I just ran out the door," Singh said.
He said he arrived at the end of the line at 1:05 p.m. and left Westminster hall at 11:10 p.m., meaning he spent just over 10 hours in line.
Singh said it didn't feel like it had been that long, though he admitted he didn't sleep on the plane and was running on "the adrenaline of the moment."
Though he only got to spend a few minutes in the room with the Queen, he said it was worth it.
"It was a moment of complete hush and awe," he said. "Everybody in the room was quiet, everyone was respectful."
Speaking to CTV News Vancouver before his trip, Singh said he's interested in history and wanted to witness it, adding that Queen Elizabeth II is the only monarch he's ever known.
After completing his pilgrimage, he felt similarly.
"For some people, it was about the Royal Family, about the monarchy, about the Queen," Singh said Sunday.
"For me, it was about the woman, Queen Elizabeth II herself, but it was also about this moment. Such a huge moment in history … I'm going to look back and think, 'Wow, I was there.'"
Singh plans to be there for the Queen's funeral on Monday as well. He told CTV News he hadn't had a chance to decide on where he will watch the ceremony, but noted it might be difficult to get a spot along the route the coffin will travel, where some people have been camped out since Sunday morning.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Angela Jung.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.