LONDON
A number of Goans visited the Buckingham Palace on Friday to pay their respects to the departed Queen Elizabeth II.
Speaking to The Goan, some of them shared their experiences of the sombre moments at the site, as thousands of people placed flowers and candles outside the Buckingham Palace to mourn the demise of their monarch.
“The British public have entered a period of mourning following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, who devoted her life to her duty as Queen till the last day,” said Clayton Fernandes Barreto, who resides in London.
“It was nice being outside the Buckingham Palace, as many came from the lengths and breadths of the country to pay their personal tributes to the Queen by leaving hundreds of bouquets, personal notes, Union Flags and candles in memory of the country's longest-serving monarch.”
Describing the atmosphere as solemn, Barreto said “the people were remarkably quiet, hundreds and thousands walking through Green park and Pall Mall road, leading to the Palace, infrequent bursts of applause and cheers, thanking the Queen for her service to the nation.”
“Queues to leave flowers and other mementos had grown throughout the day, stretching for around half a mile from the gates of Buckingham Palace down to the Commonwealth Memorial Gates on Constitution Hall, towards Hyde Park Corner. Her death brings an end to a 70-year reign, the longest in history,” said Barreto.
Calvin De Souza, another Goan in London, said they were very fortunate to see King Charles III in front of them.
“He was greeted with cheers, applause and crowds singing "God Save The King" outside Buckingham Palace, as he returned to London to address the nation, mourning the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth,” said De Souza.
“The King got of his car and walked near the crowd, greeting as many as he could and then inspected the mass of flowers left outside the Palace railings.”
We were here three months ago and the mood on the esplanade in front of Buckingham Palace was very different, when the queen appeared on the balcony to huge cheers from revellers enjoying her Platinum Jubilee celebrations, which marked her 70 years on the throne.”
“This time it was different as teary eyes were fixed on the empty balcony metres away,” De Souza added.
Incidentally, the Rego family was among the first to reach the Buckingham Palace on Thursday evening, moments after the official announcement of the demise of the Queen.
“We were there on Thursday evening with our cousins from Goa visiting UK around the Buckingham Palace, when the news broke out about the demise of the Queen. We quickly made our way to the Palace and like us, many who were around came to pay their respects to the Queen,” said L Rego.
“It was like London coming to a standstill with utmost silence, we felt we were part of history. People from different walks of life came together a one, uniting in spirit as a nation. Crowds in hundreds were walking in silence along the Pall Mall as time passed, we saw bigger crowds in front of the Palace waving the National flag and with their personal messages and flowers meant for the Queen,” she added.
