Kevin Sharpe calls it an impulsive decision — but one he’s glad he made because of the people he’s met and the stories he’s heard.
DALLAS — Kevin Sharpe is not a big royal family buff.
But he loves Europe. And he loves history.
And the chance to witness history in London was something he made an “impulsive decision” to do.
“God bless American Airlines and advantage miles,” he said from his London hotel room.
Sharpe lives in Dallas.
He and his sister, who lives in Omaha, Nebraska, booked their flight when news broke that Queen Elizabeth II was gravely ill.
They left DFW on Tuesday and arrived in London on Wednesday.
“I’ve been introducing myself as the dignitary from Lake Highlands, Dallas, Texas,” he said, laughing. “I don’t think anyone else from Lake Highlands is here. If they are, I apologize.”
He described an electric energy in London.
“The closer you get to Buckingham Palace, the quieter it is, the more solemn it is,” he said.
Sharpe and his sister decided not to wait in the miles-long line to see the queen’s casket.
“We made a pact that we’re not standing in a line that is longer than the flight it took to get here,” he said.
But they did stand under Big Ben when the procession escorting the casket to Westminster was taking place.
The crowds were so big, they couldn’t see the pomp and circumstance.
But Sharpe said what they did see and feel was worth it.
“Men in business suits climbing on top of statues to get a view of nothing. There were thousands of iPhones pointing up to nothing. But we were there. And that connection is something that is making this priceless,” he said.
“When you stop people and ask them how they feel or what this means to you, they take a deep breath and they just tell these awesome personal stories.”
During previous trips to London, Sharpe said he witnessed examples of tradition and ritual that surrounds the monarchy — like the changing of the guard.
“But this was the moment they were practicing for,” he said. “This moment in history will never happen again. We just thought, let’s do this.”
And he knows he will forever be proud he did.