Chattanoogans with direct and indirect connections to England are remembering Queen Elizabeth as a selfless person who didn’t ask to be put into the position she was, but who accepted the role and responsibility with grace and an unwavering impulse to do the best she could.
Chattanooga radio personality Jen Lambert grew up in Australia, where she said “everything is about royalty.
“When (Princess) Diana died, I cried for three weeks,” she said in a telephone call.
“Queen Elizabeth was never meant to be queen,” she said. Elizabeth’s uncle, Edward VIII, abdicated the throne in 1936, which meant his brother — Elizabeth’s father — became king, George VI.
King George VI died in 1952.
“It was not in the cards originally, but when it did happen, she could not have been a better fit,” Lambert said.
(READ MORE: 10 things to know about Queen Elizabeth II and her life)
Lambert said that throughout her seven-decade reign, Elizabeth “always put her duties before her family, and that is a good thing. Maybe it was bad for the family, I guess, but good for everyone else.”
She said she follows the royal family closely.
“I can’t help it. I grew up with it, and it was so much a part of my childhood,” she added. “What a legacy she has left behind. She was beloved by everybody.”
Chattanooga photographer David Humber was born in England in 1962 and lived there exclusively from 1970 to 1982. He bounced back and forth between the United States and England after that. He said in a text that today is a sad day.
“Feeling much sadness … She was truly an amazing lady who will be sorely missed. Will spend the rest of the day and week in remembrance.”
The only connections Mike Flood, president of the Southern British Car Club of Chattanooga, has to England and Queen Elizabeth are his respect for her and his love of vintage British automobiles.
“We’ve done activities in the past to show our respect for her, and we are extremely sorry that the queen has died. She did fantastic things throughout her life, and being a veteran myself, I think one of the greatest is that she served in the British Army in World War II.
“I’m sure the world will miss her in the years to come.”
Steadfast, calm: Brits in Chattanooga remember Elizabeth II
Like the vast majority of Great Britain’s citizens, Chattanooga Football Club coach Andy Wishart has known just one monarch — Queen Elizabeth II, who died Thursday at age 96 after 70 years on the throne.
Wishart, who was born in Leeds, England, in 1968, moved to the United States in 2003.
He said his first memory of the queen was when he was a 9-year-old in 1977 during the Silver Jubilee celebrations marking Elizabeth’s 25th year on the throne. Every child got a coin and commemorative mug, he said.
“Later that year she visited Leeds,” he said in a telephone interview. “For people my age, we’ve known nothing else but the queen. Nobody has known anything else but the queen.”
Queen Elizabeth’s longevity – she was the longest-serving monarch in British history — provided continuity for more than seven decades that saw profound changes across the commonwealth and world.
(READ MORE: Britain mourns Queen Elizabeth as Charles becomes king)
No matter what was happening, Brits could count on the queen to be steadfast and calm. The British, Wishart said, “feel like she is everyone’s grandmother. She could rally a nation beyond belief. She had a sense of history and could use that to reassure everyone. Even during COVID.”
The queen’s sense of humor endeared her to millions of people around the world — from The Beatles to current-day celebrities and politicians.
“People have lots of stories about meeting her,” he said.
On Friday, the world watched as the queen’s heir – her eldest son, Charles – addressed the nation as King Charles III for the first time.
Like so many others around the world, Wishart said he has been glued to the TV or radio for the latest updates.
‘There’ll be a lot of pageantry in the coming weeks,” he added. “In our lifetime, we’ve never seen that.”
Andrew Durby, general manager at Hair of the Dog pub on Market Street, said he and some of his patrons have been keeping up with the media coverage, and like many others, are speculating on what happens next.
“I’ve traveled over there to see cousins several times, and there is a lot of speculation as to what might happen,” he said in telephone call.
Hair of the Dog will be offering a Royal Flush shot of Crown Royal with peach Schnapps and cranberry juice in honor of the queen.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com