Well-wishers brought with them a colorful array of flowers, notes and tributes as they filled the Mall. By noon, the area around the palace was almost full. A mourner lays a bouquet of flowers outside Buckingham Palace on Saturday. Photo: Loïc Venance/AFP/Getty Images A note written by a child and left tied to a nearby lamppost read: “To the Queen, I hope you like heaven. I love you. Bye. From Gracey.” Among the mourners who felt compelled to travel to central London was Julie Saunders, 54, from Astead, who said she admired the Queen because of her status as a role model. Julie Saunders said the Queen was an “amazing role model” for women. Photo: Sophia Evans/The Observer “I wasn’t a passionate royalist or anything, but I’m not a Republican either,” he said. “I think it’s really amazing that a woman would give her whole life to serve us all. “She gave it selflessly, that was her commitment and she did that without fail. She was a wife, a mother as well and, as a woman, she was an amazing role model.” In a fitting tribute to the new King Charles III, there were a notable number of King Charles Spaniels who had also made the trip to Buckingham Palace. One of them, Twiggy, belonged to Estelle Isaacs, from London, who said the Queen had converted her from the republic. Estelle Isaacs with her Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Twiggy. Photo: Sophia Evans/The Observer He said: “I am here to put some flowers for the Queen. I was actually quite regal, but I’ve come to terms with it. As a half-Venezuelan, I’ve seen what happened out there and it made me appreciate the stability of the royal family.” Sam Parton, 31, from Balham, described himself as “very patriotic” and said he had come to pay his respects to the Queen. Sam Parton and Lily Reynolds wanted to pay their respects on a ‘monumental day’. Photo: Sophia Evans/The Observer “It’s a monumental day, so we wanted to come down to pay our respects to an extraordinary woman who gave her life for our country,” he said. “I love everything about the royal family. She was an extraordinary woman and makes you proud to be British.” Sam’s friend Lily Reynolds, 27, added: ‘I’ve always been a royal, I love the Queen and the whole family to be honest. It’s been a sad few days.” However, in a recurring theme, she said she was less keen on King Charles III but was willing to give him a chance. “I’m sure Charles will raise me,” she said. “I’m more of a Queen fan, but he’s also dedicated his life to country.” Sam Quinn, 37, traveled from Wimbledon with her husband Steve and their 10-month-old son Hendrix. She said: “I loved the fact that King Charles acknowledged the new Princess of Wales in his speech and the weight that will be on her shoulders.” Steve added: “It’s a historic moment in British history, obviously she’s been Queen for 70 years and I guess today is somewhere for her to go and acknowledge that. Her whole life was dedicated to the service of her nation and she has been a part of Britain for all our lives.” Steve and Sam Quinn, pictured with their baby, Hendrix. Photo: Sophia Evans/The Observer Henry Middleditch, 31, from London, said: “I think Charles has been in a complicated position all his life. “He’s had to try to be apolitical and stand for nothing, while also having opinions like everyone else — and not entirely bad opinions, many of the things he now publicly distances himself from.” Sam Stewart, 31, concluded: “The Queen is a legend. She has done a lot for the country in her life. She dedicated her whole life to something that was not her choice.”
