By Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
If, like many, you believe a bright light went out when Queen Elizabeth II died Sept. 8, you are not alone.
As Nessie’s British Shop owner Jane Taylor and her husband John found out first-hand.
Taylor was in the United Kingdom on that day to attend the Birmingham Gift Show (“a trade show for new products”) and to visit family members in Gateshead.
They had heard she was not in super health, Taylor recalled.
“We were out for dinner – we had heard the Queen was not well,” she said.
“A waiter came over to let us know the Queen had passed, and we had a little toast to the Queen.”
While family members in Gateshead are not close enough to attend any observances personally, Taylor knows they will be glued to their tellies as they unfold – as will she and her son – especially on Sept. 19.
“We will probably be up together,” she said, referring to her understanding that the observances will take place at 5 a.m. Cobourg time.
“We’re prepared to do it. It’s pretty important,” she declared.
And not unprecedented for her – she recalls getting up in the wee hours to be sure she didn’t miss the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
Marvelling at the near-universal appeal of Her Majesty, she has heard a number of people say it was almost like losing one’s grandmother.
“She came across as a sweet, lovely person,” Taylor said.
“She worked for us her entire life, gave up freedoms and things some of us can barely imagine. And whether you are a Monarchist or not, you have to appreciate that level of commitment.”
On Sept. 19 – which happens to be her own mum’s birthday – Taylor’s downtown Cobourg store will be closed anyway, since it’s always closed Mondays. But the tribute to the Queen she has set up in her window will speak for itself.
In the days since her passing, people are touched by the few pieces she has left honouring the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. It’s too early to find items honouring King Charles III, but she has just ordered some new mugs – some a memorial to the Queen and some a tribute to the King.
“I am sure there will be more along the way, but it’s going to take a little bit of time,” she said.
