Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Crowds mourn 'amazing lady' Queen Elizabeth outside royal residences

Crowds mourn 'amazing lady' Queen Elizabeth outside royal residences

The crowd gathered outside Buckingham Palace to pay respects to the late Queen Elizabeth on Friday were rewarded with a surprise that brought cheers on a sombre day when King Charles came to shake hands and talk with dozens of well-wishers.

Thousands of people, from ordinary Britons to foreign tourists, had congregated outside the palace in London, as well as the other royal residences of Windsor Castle, just west of the capital, and Balmoral in the Scottish Highlands.

Many had laid flowers outside the residences, the piles growing higher as the day went on. Some people were in tears and hugged each other as they struggled with the shock and sadness at the queen's death at Balmoral on Thursday.

But when King Charles and his wife Camilla, Queen Consort, arrived back at the palace in central London after flying down from Balmoral, they stepped out of the royal car just outside the gates.

The couple, dressed in black, were greeted with huge cheers and applause from the crowd. The king, flanked by security guards, proceeded to shake hands with well-wishers and look at floral tributes to his mother for more than 10 minutes.

The mood changed to joyful and gloomy faces broke out in smiles. Several members of the public sang "God save the King" and one shouted "Love you Charles!"

One woman kissed King Charles' hand, while another leaned over the security barrier to hug him and kiss his cheek.

Joy Hounsome, 86, from Oxfordshire, said she acted on impulse when she kissed him.

"He didn't flinch," she laughed. "He said thank you very much." She said she felt a sense of mutual comfort. "I have every faith in him."

She said she told him: "I'm sorry for your loss" before she kissed his hand.

Denise Berriman, 73, from Stanstead, north of London, told Reuters: "I said 'thank you for coming and I’m so sorry', and he said 'thank you' to me. Then I told Camilla to look after Charles, and she said 'I'll try'."

"I was amongst the first people to shake the hand of the King of England. I was two-and-a half when Elizabeth became Queen, and we will never have someone like her again, and I'm 73 now watching her son become King. I shook his hand, people cheered. I felt so emotional," she said.

'EVERYONE'S GRANNY'


Earlier, people had spoken of their grief over Queen Elizabeth's death, and praised a woman who had been part of their lives for so many years through good times and bad.

"It's not as if it wasn't expected but it's a shock. It's just she was such a rock, wasn't she, for so long really," said Deborah O'Brien, who was visiting Balmoral from Norfolk, in eastern England.

"She's been around for so long, being sort of like the face of Britain and the Commonwealth, so it's just that sort of shock of it being different, it just sort of doesn't feel real," said Aberdeen resident Dan Buckley, 22, who had braved the Scottish rain to pay his respects at Balmoral.

Others praised her sense of duty and the fact that she had been working almost up her death, meeting the outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his successor Liz Truss at Balmoral on Tuesday.

Alice Hendry, a 48-year-old textile designer, was among the crowd outside Windsor Castle, where a constant stream of people came to lay flowers.

"What an amazing lady. She was working right up until two days before, swearing in a new prime minister. That's quite remarkable. You know, when somebody takes an oath to serve their country and their sense of duty to last their whole life. I mean, what a shining example of that."

Thousands of people packed the area in front of Buckingham Palace and up the Mall, the boulevard leading to it. Some had dyed their hair red, white and blue, the colours of the Union Jack flag.

Liam Fitzjohn, 27, a railway worker from South London, had brought his young daughter.

"Even though she won't remember it, we can tell her she was here as history was happening," he said. "We just had to come bring flowers. She's all we ever knew, we will never have a Queen like that again."

Some of those outside Buckingham Palace were foreign tourists, some in tour groups and even carrying suitcases.

"I'm flying back to Japan today, and I dropped by on my way to the airport," said Nobu Yamanaka, 52. "I carried my big bag through the line for this special occasion. Everyone in Japan is watching it."

At Windsor, Sharon Stevens, a 57-year-old employee of the Royal Meteorological Society, said she was shocked and sad.

"But then also you want to celebrate what an amazing woman she was and the legacy she left. And you just felt we had to come here today and just pay our respects because she's always been part of our lives."

Kay McClement, a 55-year-old tourism worker who lives near Balmoral, said she came with a friend to drop flowers.

"She was amazing. She was like everyone's granny. She always managed to capture the mood with her words and she loved Britain."

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Hungary Ranked Among the World’s Safest Travel Destinations for 2025
×