South Florida’s British community reacts to death of Queen Elizabeth II: ‘She never set a foot wrong’

British nationals in South Florida released their stiff upper lips on Thursday upon learning their beloved Queen Elizabeth died at age 96 after 70 years on the throne.

From afar, and through tears and trembling voices, they described a monarch who ruled with grace and few missteps as British society evolved through the COVID-19 pandemic, Brexit, divorces in the royal family, the polarizing death of the queen’s daughter-in-law, Diana Spencer, and the estrangement of her grandson, Prince Harry, and his wife, Meghan Markle.

“She never set a foot wrong,” said Patricia Kawaja, publisher of BritishFlorida.com, a reference website for all things British. “She was the public relations flagship of our country.”

Kawaja teared up as she remembered the monarch, whom she met during a royal visit to the Bahamas in 1985. Kawaja said the visit was recounted in the Netflix series, “The Crown,” although not the presence of Kawaja, a former British journalist now based in Miami.

“We are all very sad, obviously, but everyone realized it was near the end,” said Roy Yates, a Lighthouse Point resident and president of the British American Chamber of Commerce – Broward County. “She was the only monarch we had ever known.”

The British consulate in Miami posted a brief notification Thursday on its website: “Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 21 April 1926 to 8 September 2022.” And at least one South Florida Episcopal church began posting messages of condolence on Facebook. The monarch is the de facto head of the Anglican church, of which the Episcopal church is a branch.

“Requiescat in Pace Queen Elizabeth II,” posted The Episcopal Church of St. Mary Magdalene and St. Martin in Coral Springs. Another message read: “Our prayers ascend for The Royal Family, the people of the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth of Nations, and the Queen.”

The British monarchy has long been a source of fascination for Americans. Broward County educator Margery Marcus has spent much of her retirement studying the royals and had previously been scheduled to give a presentation on the royal succession. On Wednesday, she’s expected to discuss “The Royals’ Future: What Next After Elizabeth?” at Florida Atlantic University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in Boca Raton.

[ Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, dies at 96 after 70 years on the throne ]

“I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about Queen Elizabeth and why she was so popular,” said Marcus, a Broward public school teacher for 38 years before retiring in 2013.

Marcus said the queen was a tireless worker who led the country through many “firsts”: First monarch to televise a Christmas address (1957), first to address the U. S. Congress (1991), first to open Buckingham Palace to the public (1993). All of these endeared her to Britons as the culture transitioned through the 20th century and into the 21st, she said.

At the same time, British society watched her cope through family tragedies, including not only son Charles’ unhappy marriage to Princess Diana, but the divorce of her sister, Margaret, and the legal troubles of her middle son, Prince Andrew, who was associated with the disgraced American financier, Jeffrey Epstein.

“The royals’ lives are as complex and problematic as any of us,” Marcus said.

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Members of the public leave flowers outside Windsor Castle on Sept. 8, 2022, in Windsor, England. (Chris Jackson / Getty Images)

Marcus, who lives in Boynton Beach, said she remembers watching the coronation of the queen on her family’s 18-inch black-and-white TV set when she was 7 years old in 1953. She now spends much of her time reading British news outlets so she can stay updated on royal gossip.

At The British Depot in Oakland Park, a grocery store packed with national foods and memorabilia, owner Elaine LaSala and customer Neil Radgosky expressed shock that the queen had died.

Both were born in the United Kingdom and migrated to the Fort Lauderdale area decades ago. But they never left their fondness for the queen behind.

“She did so much work for England,” Radgosky said. “She put her best foot forward for us. It’s easy to criticize someone in that position, but [she had] an extraordinary life.”

[ 10 things to know about Queen Elizabeth II’s life ]

LaSala noted that Tuesday the queen had met with Liz Truss, the newly appointed prime minister, at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, the royal residence where the monarch spent her final days.

“Two days ago, she was with [her] 15th prime minister and she seemed fine,” LaSala said. “We’re absolutely devastated.”

LaSala said she intends to close the store on the day of the funeral. Life-sized cutouts of a smiling queen stand in the front and back of the store. A London taxi is parked outside.

“A lot of the customers who come in here — they are very upset,” she said. “I have a feeling not many of them are going to come in now. They’re all going to be glued to the TV.”

British native Trevor Andrews, who was watching a soccer match at The Blue Anchor pub in Delray Beach on Thursday, said the queen’s death could be seen as a “trigger point” for some in the Commonwealth (an association of countries connected to the former British Empire) to decide whether they’ll remain a part of it.

“There have been certainly some of the Commonwealth countries that have been suggesting they may want to move on,” said Andrews, 74, who’s originally from the town of Fleet in Hampshire.

He’s long felt a connection with the royal family. His father was in the British military, and Andrews visited Buckingham Palace and met Prince Philip for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme.

Andrews was at his Boynton Beach home when a BBC news notification popped up on his iPad announcing the queen’s death.

“Sadly, it was expected,” he said. “She was certainly the people’s queen.”

Staff writers Angie DiMichele and David Lyons contributed to this story.