Brighton native studying in London speaks about how U.K. is grieving for Queen Elizabeth
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ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The world is mourning the loss of Queen Elizabeth, the longest reigning monarch who died at the age of 96.
Brighton native Peter McGowan goes to school in New York but has been studying in London. He’s only been there for about a week.
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The world is mourning the loss of Queen Elizabeth, the longest reigning monarch who died at the age of 96.
“There is a lot of people out wearing black, a lot of people walking to the palace,” McGowan said. “I was on the train, and it was a lot quieter than it usually is. it’s a somber mood.”
He says he went to Buckingham Palace shortly after the tragic news. He saw tears everywhere.
“People on the train bringing flowers and a lot of people wearing black scarves and black jackets,” McGowan said. “There was a huge line of people walking through the parks to get to the palace.”
McGowan shared photos of the crowd with us while he was at the palace. The very large crowd pressed up against the palace gates. McGowan says the entire country lost a family member.
“They’ve never known anything different, so she was a grandmotherly figure for people out here,” McGowan said. “So for a lot of people in London it feels like they lost a family member.”
McGowan says the grieving process for people of the United Kingdom will be difficult. He says he’s not sure how the public will take to King Charles.
“Charles isn’t exactly the most popular guy, especially I feel like around here so it will be interesting to see how he is perceived in comparison to the Queen,” he said.