Thousands braved the pouring rain to go to Buckingham Palace to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away on Thursday afternoon at her Balmoral estate in Scotland.
“I was crying so much and all I’ve got is sodden eyes and I’m completely soaked but I don’t care,” an individual who was mourning the Queen, reportedly told Breitbart London. “My grandfather was Canadian and he died in the war, fighting for our country. It’s a very sad day.”
Hundreds of people gatheried to place flowers at the gate to the palace of Queen Elizabeth II in London on the dismal evening. The evening also had moments of occasional celebration and cheers when the flag, above the royal palace and flying at half-mast to honor her passing, was blown by the wind and waved in the dark sky.
Spontaneous moments where the people sang the British national hymn, God Save the Queen, in the rain, to commemorate the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. She was 96 and reigned for 70 years and 221 days, one of the longest periods of reign for any British monarch.
The mourners also chanted “God Save the King” in reference to Charles III, who succeeded his mother as the ruler right after his mother’s passing.
Many mourners described how “surreal” it was that the Queen had died, after having been there throughout their lives. Some even stated they were “too distraught” or “too emotional” to come up with the words to describe the significance of her death to them.
Most importantly, everyone expressed their appreciation for her role in representing their country in the world.
“She's been brilliant,” a man who is 75 years old stated. “She's been calm, controlled, dignified, she's hardly put a foot wrong.”
“She’s had a lot of things to cope with, her family situations haven’t been easy, it has been on public display throughout the world and she’s just stood there like a rock and been able to handle it and take it. She’s been a good example for everyone to follow, she represents all that’s good about the UK.”
“She’s known around the world, she’s the longest reigning monarch ever and I think she always stood for what she believed in. I think everyone who is British, even if you aren’t a royalist, is proud to be British because of the Queen,” another person said.
After a ten-day time of mourning and remembrances, a funeral will be held in honor of the Queen in London. The people can pay their respects to her at Westminster Hall before the funeral ceremony in Westminster Abbey.
