My wife and I were up late watching Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. It was a spectacular, solemn process as the gun carriage bore her coffin to and from the church service and along The Mall to Buckingham Palace. We have only visited England once, in 2016, on our first trip to Europe. We enjoyed a day exploring the sights and a highlight was a walk down the Mall. To see it lined with the Union Jack flags, crowded with people, and the stiff cortège making its way step-by-measured step along the Mall was spectacular. My new book begins outside Buckingham Palace and The Mall and follows the route taken by this procession. I watched for any detail that I might have missed on my visit there, and to check that my description was accurate. But, I soon got lost in the event and felt honored to have witnessed the very public and dignified farewell to an amazing woman.