Crowds gather outside Buckingham Palace as the Union Jack flies at half-mast Sept. 8 in mourning of the U.K.’s longest-reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.聽
Olivia Holmberg (鈥25) said Queen Elizabeth鈥檚 reign was undoubtedly impactful.聽
鈥淪he was definitely a figurehead for the U.K.,鈥 she said. 鈥淪ince she’s passed, there will definitely be like a moment of mourning where people are taking a second to really think about it.鈥
Onlookers amass outside Buckingham Palace as news of the Queen鈥檚 death spreads Sept. 8.聽
Hudson Hill (鈥24) said he was stunned by the news, which was quickly followed by a wave of grief.
鈥淢y mom came into my room crying, saying, like, the Queen’s dead,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 was very shocked because she’s been reigning for 70 years, and there’s never been another leader in my lifetime.鈥
Londoners gather by The Victoria Memorial Sept. 8 after Queen Elizabeth II passed away at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
Holmberg said the Queen鈥檚 death could change perspectives on the monarchy鈥檚 importance.
鈥淲hen the shift happens, and people start to feel the effects of that, I think the monarchy will lose a lot of its power because people are less interested in upholding it,鈥 she said.