Straining to Catch a Glimpse of the Queen

May 7, 2007 — -- Washingtonians can get somewhat blasé about visiting dignitaries.

Presidents, prime ministers, celebrities and ambassadors routinely come and go, and busy, downtown D.C. professionals are more likely to be annoyed than impressed by motorcade traffic disruptions.

But then again, it's not every day that a queen comes to town.

"I wanted to see her," said William Jegl of Washington, D.C., straining as he peered down Pennsylvania Avenue.

Standing with a large group of tourists and professionals behind an impromptu Secret Service barricade near the White House, Jegl admitted he'd left his nearby office for a few minutes, hoping to catch a glimpse of the queen.

"As a reigning monarch, she's one of the few left," he said, adding, "she's a pretty strong woman."

For tourists coming to see the White House, news that they might see the 81-year-old monarch was an added bonus.

"I was just coming to see the White House and just heard about the queen," said a delighted Mary Kroonen, a flight attendant from the Netherlands on a three-hour work break.

Kroonen likened the role of England's Queen Elizabeth II to that of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.

"She doesn't have much power," said Kroonen. "She's more of a symbol for the country."

Nearby, Kim and Kevin Langhbehn of Fergus Falls, Minn., waited to see the queen with their two children, Sarah and Seth.

On vacation in Washington, D.C., they happened to be walking by the White House and decided to join the crowd.

Asked what they knew about the monarch, Seth replied, "Not a lot," before adding, "She lives in England."

American schoolchildren may be forgiven for not knowing a lot about Queen Elizabeth II. The last time she visited Washington was in 1991, when George H.W. Bush was president.

But this visit is historic. Monday night's state dinner honoring the queen is the first white-tie event at the White House in 13 years. President Clinton hosted the last one, for the emperor of Japan.

Catching a glimpse of the queen wasn't going to be easy.

The Secret Service pushed the crowd of tourists and professionals back almost two blocks, away from the entrance of Blair House, where the queen and Prince Philip are staying during their visit.

Tourist Max Jefferson said he was angry that the fleet of cars reserved for the queen's motorcade made a U-turn onto Pennsylvania Avenue.

"I guess they think just 'cause they're the queen, they can violate our laws," said Jefferson, a retired factory worker from Anderson, S.C.