Romani people from Britain, the Czech Republic and Slovakia express their grief over the passing away of Queen Elizabeth II
Britain is in mourning after the death on 8 September 2022 of Queen Elizabeth II – thousands of people have been expressing their sorrow over the passing away of the 96-year-old monarch by coming to Buckingham Palace in London long into the night, and others are arriving today at the royal seat to lay flowers or light candles. Condolences to the Royal Family are also being expressed by Roma and Travellers from all over the country.
News server Travellers’ Times has reported on the mourning. One of the biggest Facebook groups where the community in Great Britain exchanges experiences and opinions features many posts expressing sorrow over the passing away of the monarch, who was on the throne for 70 years.
“Wonderful lady. Rest in peace Your Majesty” posted Facebook user Stefanie.
“Very sad day a feeling of great loss and being alone in this frightening world RIP you did us proud” posted Facebook user Linda. “The sadness we feel for her family is eased by her being reunited with the love of her life Phillip may they RIP together god bless” Facebook user Antoinette posted, recalling that the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, died at the age of 99 in April 2021.
Czech and Slovak Roma are also expressing respect for Queen Elizabeth II and sorrow over her passing on Facebook. “A great woman of modern history. She died at a beautiful age… May the earth lie lightly upon her,” posted Romani community member Renata Plachetková.
“Elizabeth II died today. Sincere condolences to the United Kingdom,” posted Romani activist Jozef Miker.
“Sincere condolences to the Royal Family. Queen Elizabeth II died today in the bosom of her family. I had the honor to be the first Romani woman in the history of Great Britain to meet in person with the Royal Family in 2021 and I will never forget that moment for the rest of my life,” Daniela Abraham, a Romani activist, has posted in Slovak.
“From the bottom of my heart I hope the family of Queen Elizabeth has found the peace of God in these difficult moments. May the eternal light shine on her,” Abraham posted.
Dozens of other Romani Facebook users then sent their sincere condolences to all of Great Britain and the Royal Family beneath her post. Petr Torák, a Romani community member who was bestowed an MBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 2015 for his aid to and work for the Romani community in Peterborough, England, becoming the first Romani person from the Czech Republic to be given such an honor, told news server Denik.cz that “The Queen was and always will be not just an enormous example to me, but also an inspiration. Britain gave my family and myself a new home and opportunities we could never have dreamed of, and the Queen herself has influenced three generations of our family.”
Queen Elizabeth passed away on 8 September 2022 at the age of 96 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland as the longest-ruling monarch in British history. The entire world has paid tribute to the contribution she made to Britain through her government, her modernization and her stability, from US President Joe Biden to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, and Czech representatives have also expressed their respect.
These condolences frequently express the feeling that her departure marks the end of an era. The new monarch of the British Isles is now Elizabeth’s oldest son, who has taken the royal name Charles III, and now for the first time in 70 years British politicians are saying: “God save the King.”
