'Backbone of our country': Columbus-area residents react to Queen Elizabeth II's death
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Watching the news Thursday morning, Lyn Risby knew the United Kingdom's longest-serving monarch was going to die.
That didn't make it any less devastating for the native Londoner, who has lived in Columbus for the past nine years.
"She is the backbone of our country," Risby said of Queen Elizabeth II. "She's been the figurehead."
Following a 70-year reign, Queen Elizabeth II, or Lilibet, as she was often called by close friends and family, died Thursday at Balmoral Castle, her estate in Scotland. She was 96.
Queen Elizabeth II had been a constant in expats' life
Prior to her death, Elizabeth II had been a constant in Risby's life. One of the 72-year-old's earliest memories is of the queen's coronation in 1953.
"My grandparents hired a black and white television, and we all crowded around in our sitting room," Risby said.
Risby said Elizabeth II had what she called a stabilizing influence on the United Kingdom, regardless of whether someone agreed with the monarchy.
"When she was 21, she made an oath to serve the country," Risby said, referring to the pledge Elizabeth made four years before taking the throne. "Regardless of her crazy children or whatever else happened, she has done that. She's an amazing woman and is something that ties every Brit together."
Risby keeps up with her fellow Brits through a local expat group called Buckeye Brits Community, of which she is an administrator.
"For our holidays, sporting events and what have you, we come out of the woodwork and celebrate in our own way," Risby said.
Graham Holmes, 61, of Worthington, is a member of the expat club, too. Originally from Telford, England, Holmes recalled how the queen went there in 1967. Only 6 at the time, Holmes didn't get a chance to meet her, but some of his family did during a garden party later held at Buckingham Palace.
Like Risby, Holmes has a high regard for Elizabeth II, saying there will never be anyone like her.
“There will always be another king or queen, but I don’t think she will ever be replaced," he added.
Queen Elizabeth 'relic' who still pushed for progress
When Rupali Needham learned Queen Elizabeth II had died, she dropped everything and logged online to read the news.
“To be honest, I’m kind of shell shocked," she said. "Literally, my entire life, (the Queen’s) been a constant.”
Needham, 33, of New Albany, was adopted from Bangladesh and spent her childhood in England, Ethiopia, Nepal, Thailand and Bangladesh. Throughout her life, Needham made a point to always watch the queen’s jubilees — no matter the time of day.
She called Elizabeth II a relic of the once-mighty British empire, but said she still pushed for progress.
"Obviously, there is racism within the royal (family) there,” said Needham, who identifies as a person of color.
Needham said the late queen is of a different era than her children or grandchildren, recalling how stoic she was during Princess Diana's funeral.
“She was born into a time when you didn’t show much emotion," Needham said. "When you’re sort of quiet and composed even though inside you’re screaming.”
A complicated symbol
Others have more conflicted views on the world's longest-serving monarch and the country she ruled.
Madhumita Dutta, an assistant professor of geography at Ohio State University and was born in India, remembers waving to the queen's motorcade in New Delhi alongside thousands of other children during an official state visit in the 1980s.
She said her views on the queen's passing are influenced by her family's dealings with the United Kingdom.
During the British partition of India and Pakistan, Dutta's family fled their home in East Bengal. She also lost a grand-uncle after he was recruited to fight for the British in the Royal Air Force during World War II.
“For me, it’s not a feeling of anger or happiness or sadness or anything,” Dutta said. “I was telling my students — it’s not about a person, it’s about history and how that history has shaped many things that are unfolding now.”
Pranav Jani, an associate professor of English at Ohio State whose focus is in postcolonial and critical ethnic studies, said his grandparents and their generation marched against British colonial rule.
"(It's) hard to respect a symbol of the British state, or the wealth that they have, knowing where it came from," Jani said.
Louise Yahiaoui, a global education specialist at OSU, grew up in London and helps organize school trips there.
She remembers being taught in primary school that the royal family was something to be proud of. Less savory elements of the British monarchy were overshadowed, she said.
"Our history lessons did not involve the darker parts of what it means to be a royal and what it means to have led the Commonwealth in terms of the implications for people around the world," Yahiaoui said.
Best-selling romance novelist: The queen did 'superb job'
Rosemary Laurey, 76, is a British best-selling romance novelist who has lived in America for 52 years, the past 20 in Columbus. She described herself as being ambivalent about the British monarchy, though she expressed respect for Queen Elizabeth II's work.
“When I was young, I never really thought about it. It was just a fait accompli, you know, like — you have trees in the garden, you have chickens in the run, and you have the queen on the throne," Laurey said. "But I must admit the queen has done a superb job. I sort of wonder why we still have them, but we do. And I think on the whole, most people really are glad we do — I’m a bit of an outlier.”
Monroe Trombly and Micah Walker cover trending news.
Peter Gill covers immigration and new American communities in partnership with Report for America. You can support work like his with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America here: bit.ly/3fNsGaZ.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Expats in Columbus react to Queen Elizabeth II's death
