On a spring day in May of 1991, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip came to the U.S. and were on Capitol Hill. I had always been fascinated by the queen, so I made sure to go to the Library of Congress building, which stands next to the Supreme Court, to see her.
She was doing some event, and with my congressional ID, I was able to stand at the entrance behind the stanchion.When she passed me smiling, my first reaction was how pretty she was.
I had always thought that the queen appeared frumpy on television or in pictures, but she and Philip really made a dashing couple.
I was also a bit surprised by how small she was. When you think of the queen, you think of her as larger than life — which she was.The queen also addressed a joint session of Congress that month, and I was able to go see her speak.