“The sky is gray but the emotion is in the hearts”, philosophizes an AP journalist in front of the British Embassy, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, this Friday morning. It must be said that on the spot, there are many more journalists than Britons who came to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, who died Thursday evening.
So much so that as soon as an onlooker shows up to drop off a bouquet, he is assailed by the eager cameras of the right customer. Colleagues reveal that the previous evening, around fifty people gathered in front of the two huge portraits of the monarch hung under the Union jack at half mast. But the few bouquets of flowers deposited appear tiny at the foot of the imposing facade. Even the five police vehicles that had come to reinforce the gendarmes usually on duty at the embassy waited in vain for the crowd.
But to say there was really no one would be lying. A young man in a purple shirt and suit jacket, “very sad” since last night, came to lay a wreath. A 23-year-old blonde woman, Aiofe also came to pay homage to the queen. “I listened to the news all day yesterday and when I heard the news I was devastated,” says the one who has worked in Paris for a year. And she went to the embassy to “be in a place where I thought maybe there would be people to feel some form of connection.” Unfortunately, the connection may not have been very strong this Friday morning.
“A model of courage of dignity”
Other Britons, visibly very moved, preferred to keep this moment to themselves and not show it off in front of journalists, like this woman in her fifties who came with her dog or this very elegant young man in a blazer and boater .
But French people also came to show their emotion and respect. Like Emmanuel, glasses with thick blue frames on the nose. He came to pay homage to “a model of courage and dignity” who “has crossed all eras, all the presidents of the Fifth Republic”. This longevity also marked Aoife who “felt like she would never leave even though she was 96”. “It’s a bit of a rock for me, it has always been there throughout my life and that of my parents, she continues. We’ve never known a world without her, it’s going to be a very difficult change I think. »
Emmanuelle, who has “always had an adoration” since she was “very small”, also salutes a personality, a character: “At the same time, she was very funny and with her husband, Prince Philip, she formed an extraordinary couple “. “She was absolutely hilarious” supports the young Briton who predicts that her “her smile will be missed by everyone”.