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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 11 SEPTEMBER 2022
OPINION
14
EYEWITNESS
London
mourning
A portrait of Queen Elizabeth
II illuminates Piccadilly Circus
in London as the UK mourns
the loss of its long-serving
monarch.
Across the UK and its realms
where the British monarch
is head of state, tributes and
memorials were set up to
commemorate the 70-year
reign of Elizabeth II.
Thousands of mourners
travelled to Buckingham
Palace to pay tribute to the
Queen, with some who wait-
ed for hours greeted by the
new King.
After news of the Queen's
declining health broke on
Thursday afternoon, crowds
began to gather outside the
palace.
Twenty-four hours later, the
gates were covered in several
rows of flowers, candles, and
presents.
As dawn broke in central
London on Friday, there was
a trickle of mourners, many
of them commuters, stopping
for a moment of reflection.
By lunchtime the trickle had
become a torrent, with tens of
thousands shuffling patiently
up the length of Constitution
Hill and beyond as they wait-
ed, umbrellas to shield them
from the rain, to pay their re-
spects.
On London's subway,
groups of people broke into
spontaneous renditions of
"God Save The Queen".
Others lingered on street
corners, staring at news up-
dates on their phones.
