LITTLETON, Colo. — On Friday, the British Girls Group in Denver held a tea event to honor Queen Elizabeth II.
“Brits are kind of known for drinking tea. We always say in any crisis, we solve it over a cup of tea,” said Julie Reddington, a founder of British Girls Group in Denver. “We actually had this event planned on the books for a few weeks now. So just timed it perfectly with obviously the news yesterday and it gives a chance to get back together.”
Reddington, who is originally from South Manchester, moved to the Denver metro area in 2005 and helped start the British Girls Group for British women missing home.
“We came out here for two years. Then for most of us, we ended up staying,” Reddington said. “You know, we're all Brits who love living in America.”
The group has about 200 British ex-pat group members who meet sporadically to celebrate royal milestones. Many group members expressed shock at the news of the queen’s death.
“I think the news is still kind of settling in because it just seemed to happen so fast. I mean, two days ago, she'd only just met with a new prime minister. There was a picture of her going around and she looked amazing in the pictures. So, to learn that 48 hours later, you know, to learn about her passing and it happening as quickly as it did, was a shock,” Reddington said.
Together, the group watched King Charles III address the world for the first time following the queen’s death.
British Girls Group in Denver Member Sylvia Lambe said the death of the queen brings up conflicting emotions for her.
“I'm sad, because... I've celebrated many events that have been held in the UK that have been regarding royalty. But she was the head of the Empire. The Empire is born from colonialism. My parents are from former colonies, from Ghana and Barbados. And so when I think of colonization, I think of oppression,” Lambe said. “But I think (of) her passing as an opportunity to maybe free yourself from the shackles of the past.”
Lambe and Reddington said the end of the queen’s rule will take a while to get used to but they’re interested to see what the future holds for the British royal family.