“We will remember her until we die. We were happy to be there when she was queen and she ruled us as we were in the Commonwealth,” said Tyagaras, who is Sri Lankan. But when she spoke to her grandchildren last night after news of the Queen’s death swept the nation, there was no sadness in their response, Tiagaras, 80, recalled. “Our generation, we were all saddened when we heard the news. But kids, I think, nowadays think it’s something that happens, they take it as it comes.” It was an exchange that exposed a rift between an older generation who commemorated an era-defining monarch whose work ethic, sense of duty and stoicism they had known all their lives, and a younger generation with whom the institution of monarchy has less impact. Despite the gap, the feeling among the thousand-strong crowd that continues to gather outside Buckingham Palace is overwhelmingly one of loss and grief. Shahid Khan, a 19-year-old royalist from Cardiff, put down the generation gap as circumstantial. “With the younger generation, I guess we don’t have that situation to bring us together,” Khan said of his peers. “I feel like that’s one reason why they don’t connect.” Should the disconnect surprise us? During her 70-year reign, the Queen has witnessed seismic changes in technological development, industry, economy and social life around the world, many of which have been reduced to historical footnotes for young adults. The Queen has been the head of state of 15 other countries, all once part of the former British Empire. For seven decades he headed the Commonwealth, whose 54 countries include 2.1 billion people, a third of the world’s population. For many, a long-revered figure has suddenly disappeared. Bentley Roach, 77, from Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, has spent his life searching for the queen. “I’m from the Caribbean, a Commonwealth country, so people of my generation don’t know anyone else,” Roach said. “I feel loyalty to the monarchy. This does not mean that if countries become independent, it is the right of the people to choose where they want to go. I respect that.” Instead, for some Britons the Queen’s death revived conflicting feelings of a colonial past. “We have a bond with the Commonwealth whether it’s good or not,” said one woman, who asked not to be named, for whom the Queen’s work ethic and duty are values she identifies with as a British-born Sri Lankan. “You can never forget the mistakes of the past,” he added. “I have a lot to be grateful for from this country, but I’m also conscious of my heritage and the struggles that people have.” Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. For others, like Kylie Benson, whose family is from Belize, the queen was the “power” of her community, whose reign provided a sense of stability. “It meant a lot to me and my family,” Benson, 32, said. “Having come from one of her Commonwealth countries, she grew up in that country and when that actually gained independence, it changed – to be honest, the politics are not as good as they were when they were under the Queen’s reign. I have always said that if I were there I would vote against independence from the British colony.” Speaking to several young adults, the emotional response to life without the queen was less evident. “I think everyone is questioning the same thing – whether the monarchy will go on much longer,” said Ellie Cheek, 21. For her friend Yele, 24, who did not want to share her last name, the royal family is a staple of British culture. It depends, he said, on who is willing to say goodbye. “That will depend on each individual. I know for some people, like outside the UK, maybe in the Caribbean islands, they are ready to part ways with it. But I think really, it’s hard…” he trailed off. Steph Hamilton, 32, who described the royals as privileged and unrepresentative, said it was a historic moment. She made her way to Buckingham Palace from Shake Shack when news of the Queen’s death broke on Thursday afternoon. “I’m not too bothered about the monarchy,” said Hamilton, who predicted the queen’s death would have a huge impact. For example: “What about the Commonwealth? The fact that we have a king is a bit strange.”
