Hundreds of thousands of people of all ages, many nationalities and different cultures said goodbye today in the streets of London to Elizabeth II of England, the “unifying” queen.
Crowds lined up today in London at the crossing points of the funeral procession of Elizabeth II, who died on 8th September, aged 96, and concentrated in Hyde Park, one of the largest parks in the city where giant screens broadcast the funeral and parade of the urn with the monarch's remains.
With the exception of the hour of the funeral at Westminster Abbey, when the crowd remained silent, the atmosphere among thousands of people in Hyde Park was mainly festive, in a celebration of the life of the woman who was Queen of England for more than 70 years into the longest reign in UK history.
Mark and Neil, 24, came on purpose from Birmingham, more than 160 kilometers from London, because, in Mark’s words, it was “the least” they could do to honour Elizabeth II and her legacy, which “transcends religions” , cultures and ages”, as, he underlines, is clearly evident in the crowd of Hyde Park.
“It brings us all together,” says Mark, an energy researcher.
In Hyde Park, many families full of children and elderly people gathered, taking advantage of the trip to the park for a picnic after the funeral, there were dozens of men who displayed medals on their coat lapel, there were Orthodox Jews next to women with their head covered with scarves that indicate that they are Muslim.
“The queen was very unifying”, summarised Hannah, 24 years old and who, like the friend next to her, proudly displays an aesthetic heir to the 'punk' movements.
Hannah says she has a "complicated relationship" with the monarchy and the royal family, but acknowledges Elizabeth II's aggregating and symbolic role in recent decades in UK history and society.
She went, with her friend Tabatha, also 24, to Hyde Park to see with her own eyes the “historic moment” of Elizabeth II's funeral and guess that “this is the end of an era”, stressing that today's crowd in Hyde Park followed in silence and solemnity the funeral broadcast from Westminster Abbey, but in the end, “no one sang the national anthem”, which became “God save the King”, with the proclamation of Charles III.
Hannah and Tabatha stress, in statements to Lusa, that they live in London, but have spent the last few years studying in Glasgow, Scotland, where “the speech of separation from the United Kingdom and the end of the monarchy is very present”.
“It is likely that a lot has died with the queen”, reflects Tabatha, after also remembering the “complicated colonial history” and “still alive” of the United Kingdom, which is yet to be debated.
Those who disagree are Linda, her three daughters and five grandchildren, all from London, who, at the end of Elizabeth II's funeral, open a bottle of sparkling wine and toast in Hyde Park “to the Queen and King Charles”.
Linda, 60, tells Lusa that the family is “with the monarchy” and that “the English are with the monarchy” and explains that she decided to go with her daughters and grandchildren to the street to feel that they are “being part of the of the historic moment” and to “show the world” the British union around the English crown.
“Charles will be a good King, he is a good man”, she insisted several times.
With the exception of Linda and her family, no one in Hyde Park referred to Charles III in conversations with Lusa.
The focus is still on Elizabeth II, who will be buried today in Windsor, after London's funeral ceremonies, and which has taken thousands of people on authentic pilgrimages to the English capital in recent days.
Source Lusa
