Elizabeth visited Hong Kong twice during her reign, while her son – now King Charles III – was present for the handover in China in 1997. “My grandmother who raised me always talked about the ‘boss lady’, I heard about her so much that she felt like family… Today it’s like a family member died,” wrote Facebook user Vincent Lam. “It’s the end of an era… Thank you for your dedication,” read another post on the Hong Kong Reminiscence Facebook group that garnered nearly 4,000 likes within hours of Elizabeth’s death being reported during the night in the city. Britain has seen two major waves of immigration to Hong Kong in recent decades – the first in anticipation of the handover and the second in the past two years as China cracks down on political dissent. Many of those who reacted overnight did so from their new home. “He always (has) our highest respect… I will miss him,” said Lok Cheung, a popular tech YouTuber in Hong Kong who recently immigrated to Britain. “Hong Kong Worker”, a comic artist who has also moved, drew a panel of himself telling the Queen: “Thank you for giving us a Hong Kong that was once beautiful.”
