“It would be strange to call him a king” | Death of Queen Elizabeth II

Our living together is a historic momentThrows me a drunkard. Monarchy, with its tragedies and tragedies, is what we do best in England He continues staring at the screen, as do all the customers who have occupied the premises to enjoy the moment.

An hour before Prince Charles, now King Charles III, was due to speak, we were talking hard on the pavement in front of a pub where ties are loose in this trendy London district. For or against monarchy? is the question on everyone’s lips this September evening.

Ian Mills, 49, who works in the new technology sector, opens a small black umbrella as a few drops of rain fall. Cow! Don’t you know that? It always rains in LondonHe sticks out his tongue. I loved her like everyone elseHe said more seriously. I loved her, as one loves an old woman, not as a queen.

Ian otherwise finds the concept of monarchy outdated and absurd. This kind of power cannot be given to a human, mortal by definition. This is an archaic concept that Britain needs to get rid of. Ian didn’t hesitate to prophesy that Charles’ speech in an hour would be a historic moment, as it would mark the beginning of the end of the English monarchy.

A crowd gathers outside a pub for a pint and a few tears.

Photo: Radio-Canada / Ivano Demers

Ian furiously conjures up televised footage from Buckingham Palace, where people who have tearfully swapped their traditional mullions for carnations, march in tears. He hypothesizes that through Elizabeth’s death the English are mourning their own youth, but a fictional, united nation.

There is much more revealed in this than the Queen’s strict neglect. Ian pursed his lips again and mischievously said: It’s all David Bowie’s fault. When Bowie died in 2016, everything fell apart. Trump was elected in America, covid came and there, the queen died. Ian laughs, quietly drinking Bowie’s beer.

A few steps away, on the sidewalk, is a group of three young men, the milky color of early British postcards. One is 25 years old, another is 29 years old and the last is 33 years old. Their names are Louise, Jamie and Tom respectively. And they are all for the monarchy. The reason is simple: this is the only thing that unites their torn country at the moment.

The fracture caused by Brexit still haunts everyone and British society, they tell me, continues to divide. The economy, rising inflation, rising fuel prices, immigration… every politician comes up with a solution that satisfies no one. For all this, the royal family resists a symbol of continuity and unityTom thinks, whose last name is…Windsor!

But while Tom is a fan, the three doubt Charles’ ability to do as well as his mother. Charles promotes environmental beliefs. I believe it will usher us into a new, greener chapter in our history.

At 6pm, Louise, Jamie and Tom enter the pub to join the other patrons gathered in front of the giant screen to hear the new king. The usual hubbub of the place dies down and the moment becomes sacred. One of them suddenly turns out to be very aggressive: I think I’m going to cry.

Asi Braw and Andrew Farclough

Photo: Radio-Canada / Ivano Demers

On the East End, everyone we spoke to was on edge, even the misfits. Azzy Brauu has tricolor hair. She wears large false eyelashes and hides her true eye color with colored contact lenses to make her look like a cat.

She tells us that she has been crying since Thursday and tells us plainly: Rani was like my grandmother. I feel like an orphan. His boyfriend Nodding he understands her. His name is Andrew Fairclough. But I believe that Charles should give up the throne to William. Who says punks can’t have a say in palace intrigue?

Sisters Acqua and Abana Appiah were eager to hear Charles III’s speech.

Photo: Radio-Canada / Ivano Demers

All bus shelters in the city had placards with the Queen’s picture, the year of her birth and the year of her death yesterday. Sisters Akwa and Abana Appiah wait for the bus in front of the effigy of the deceased. When we met them, the elder rushed home to listen to Charles.

Calling him “King Charles” would be very strange. Elizabeth, she always was, that goes without saying. Without it, would it work?

A mural in London’s East End depicts the late Queen stopping a soccer goal.

Photo: Radio-Canada / Ivano Demers