London’s Green Park blooms with tributes to Queen Elizabeth : NPR

news7f09/18/2022

1 4 minutes read

London's Green Park blooms with tributes to Queen Elizabeth : NPR

Funeralists and members of the public lay flowers at the Queen’s official floral tribute in Green Park, London on Saturday.

Elizabeth Dalziel for NPR

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Elizabeth Dalziel for NPR

Funeralists and members of the public lay flowers at the Queen’s official floral tribute in Green Park, London on Saturday.

Elizabeth Dalziel for NPR

It’s hard to see grass in London’s Green Park these days, both because the grounds are strewn with flowers dedicated to Queen Elizabeth and teeming with tourists who have come to see them.

British officials have encouraged members of the public to leave flowers in remembrance at two dedicated royal parks, with Green Park being the prime site for flowers near Buckingham Palace. The park is also the final destination for the remnants of dedication elsewhere in the city, brought in by the park’s workers.

The senders and other visitors did not disappoint. They had carefully sent flower bouquets, stuffed Paddington bears, drawings of corgis, handwritten letters, painted pebbles, flags, posters, photographs and other symbols of appreciation in rows. and piles on the ground – fill the park with color and make it a charm of its own. On Saturday, huge crowds spilled out into and out of the park, creating such a chaotic traffic jam that some people thought This area has been closed.

In addition to a variety of flowers, the tributes include photos, paintings and handmade cards.

Elizabeth Dalziel for NPR

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Elizabeth Dalziel for NPR

However, inside the memorial grounds is a quieter setting for contemplation and admiration. Many people come with generations of their families to arrange flowers and take in the view, both for its vastness and for the little details at its feet: an open thank you card, a jar of marmalade tucked beneath a bear Stuffed, children’s drawings on bright white paper against a background of a sea of green tree trunks.

People photographed the scene and their loved ones posing in it, and walked through the park, pointing out their favorite flowers and cards. Some have visited several times in the past week, while others have traveled from outside town just to see the tributes, such as Shaun and Tracey Dunmall, who took the train from Kent.

“[We’re here to] Tracey explained, “That’s something people can do for her, isn’t it?”

Ellie Bunn, 26, said she was looking for a way to put her roses in a sunny spot.

Elizabeth Dalziel for NPR

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Elizabeth Dalziel for NPR

A woman named Fabi, who visited the park with her 21-year-old daughter, said the scene was sad on a “human level”, even for the thousands of mourners who never got to meet the queen. .

“I suppose it reminds you of friends you’ve lost, and overall it’s nice to see people come and pay their respects,” she said.

Many in the crowd took their time looking for the perfect spot to leave their flowers.

For Ellie Bunn, 26, that means finding an area with fresh flowers and some sunlight. She was there with her mother and aunts to see the memorials for the first time – but is still thinking about her walk through it, in which she saw King Charles’ motorcade driving car towards Buckingham Palace. She said she was too flustered to take out her phone in time to snap a picture.

One of only two royal parks designated to commemorate flowers, Green Park is brimming with patriotism.

Elizabeth Dalziel for NPR

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Elizabeth Dalziel for NPR

Joanna and Ben Ibbotson had the pleasure of letting their 4-year-old daughter Alice arrange their flowers – she spread them individually in various locations – and the card she signed herself to practice her craft on the train passed.

Like others NPR spoke to at the park, they said they were moved by the handwritten tributes from the children.

Visitors spent time observing the many large rows and piles of memorials.

Elizabeth Dalziel for NPR

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Elizabeth Dalziel for NPR

Graham Monks, a major sergeant in the British Army, was a notable figure in his military competitions and carried a long wooden stick known as a speed stick. He was one of thousands of soldiers in London to help with the funeral process, and finally had the opportunity to stop by to view the tributes on his way out of a 14-hour shift. He was there for about five minutes and had lost track of how many people had asked him to take a picture with them. Seeing soldiers in uniform in public, he explained, is a rare sight in Britain, as is a royal funeral.

The monks described notes from children to the queen as particularly “gut-wrenching”, specifically referring to a card asking the queen to send greetings to the writer’s concubine in heaven.

“People write a lovely long essay, a long story, but it’s actually the articles from the kids that really get home that give you goosebumps and goosebumps,” he said.

A flower corgi sits in Green Park, London on Saturday.

Elizabeth Dalziel for NPR

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Elizabeth Dalziel for NPR

Graham monks from the British Army look at the Queen’s official floral memorial site, along with other members of the British Army in Green Park, London on Saturday.

Elizabeth Dalziel for NPR

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Elizabeth Dalziel for NPR