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There is a person walking to Buckingham Palace. The King Charles III left the area later in the day. Even without members of the royal family present, the crowd was packed near the palace’s gates laying down flowers and pictures of Queen Elizabeth II
The crowd was so large that it was nearly silent, according to a junior at Syracuse University.
Hundreds and hundreds of people stood outside as you walked through the crowd. I thought if I spoke above a whisper it would be like I was screaming.
The United Kingdom’s longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, passed away in Scotland. She passed away at 96. The city of England’s capital was witnessed and experienced by Syracuse University students in the days and weeks after the queen’s death.
A notification on her phone said that she was in her flat with her five roommates. Then a notification from the New York Times. The moment was silent as it was the next day at Buckingham Palace.
On the day after the queen’s death, Emma Knauf, a junior at SU studying in London, went to Buckingham Palace. Knauf was surprised by the silence.
Each year the gun salute was fired, one shot was fired for each year the queen was dead. She said the ceremony ended around 10 minutes.
The SU student was in a London gym when Buckingham Palace announced the death of the queen.
When I look at my phone, I hear a woman screaming, and then I look at the television and see her crying. Chills came all over my arms.
The gym was silent even though a woman was crying.
Emma Kelly is a design editor
Being in London during the aftermath of the queen’s death was confusing. They didn’t understand the city’s silence as people who were not from the U.K.
When you don’t know a lot about the queen, it feels weird to experience this history.
She said she could feel the energy of the city even though she wasn’t able to relate to people’s strong emotions.
The feeling of being somber was felt by everyone. Everyone was in shock, distraught and upset.
She initially felt shocked as she struggled to fully comprehend the monarchy. When news of the queen’s passing hit people’s phones, Lan, along with some classmates, were walking along the RiverThames. She said the group stopped in their tracks.
Lan said that the queen is a symbol of the country. In primary school in China, we learned the song God Save the Queen.
Even though she wasn’t from the U.K., Knauf understood the sadness of those around her.
Losing a family member is sad, but someone who is such a big important figure is even sader. “Knauf said it.” It is pretty and crazy.
A photo by Yajie Lan.
Students are preparing for the weeks following her death.
The 10 days after the queen dies have been carefully planned by the British government. SU canceled classes in London because of the queen’s state funeral service this Monday.
Even with the upcoming funeral, London has not all been mournful. She said that some people are going back to living.
She said that she only sees the sadness when people are on the tube. People are less upset about it if I stay around my neighborhood.
Many of the SU students studying in London acknowledge the historical importance of the queen’s death even though their lives are going back to normal.
It was like there was no way that this could happen while we were here. When the Queen died, people are going to ask where you were.