The Queen’s death: Geraldton locals in London give their view of a city in mourning

With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, London is in a mournful and quietly respectful mood, according to Geraldton-born Australians who call the city home. Lee Coventry-Walsh met the Queen in Geraldton in 1988 and now lives in London, laying flowers in Green Park to respect the monarch she once met on the other side of the world. Ms Coventry-Walsh said it had been an emotional time for the city of nine million. “On the day of her death I had many conversations with friends who all felt really sad and teary despite not being huge fans of the royals in general,” she said. It has been impossible to avoid the Queen’s image in the city. “Over the past week there have been countless ceremonies, shop windows are adorned with memorial posters, messages of condolences and images of the Queen from throughout her reign,” she said. Ashleigh Hughes joined the massive crowds who payed respect to the Queen. “I have noticed the people are in mourning, that there is a sense of loss but also a sense of anticipation about how Charles will rule and if he brings the monarchy into the current century,” Ms Hughes said. Ms Hughes, who has lived in London for 10 years, works at an Australian restaurant group with a bar next to the queue of Londoners who were waiting hours to pay respect as the Queen’s coffin lies in state. She said she heard the wait was 12 hours on Thursday and probably grew over the weekend. “A lot people queueing said that they want to pay their respects to an amazing woman who did so much in her time and were willing to wait as long as it takes,” she said. The Queen’s State Funeral was held on Monday.