When Queen Elizabeth II passed away on Sept. 8, it marked the end of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch. At the time of her coronation in 1953, she ruled over seven independent countries, which grew to 32 nations during 70-year reign. At the time of her death, Queen Elizabeth II ruled over 15 countries in the Commonwealth and 14 additional overseas territories, which collectively are home to over 150 million people, according to Time.

UK students react to Queen Elizabeth’s death

The Daily Trojan spoke with students to gather their reactions to her death and what will follow.

Domingo Powell, a sophomore majoring in international relations, and global business, originally from the U.K., said that he had first heard of Elizabeth’s passing after receiving texts from his mother. “The economy in the U.K. is massively weighed on the Queen’s presence,” Powell said, “and she’s also just a good person. It’s good to be able to look up to a nice figurehead.”

Being a British citizen, Diora Juraboeva said her country’s culture heavily involves the Queen, and that affects the way she feels about her passing. “In Britain, people are very passionate about the monarchy generally. Everyone really cares about it a lot,” Juraboeva, a freshman majoring in arts, technology, and the business of innovation, said. “Recently, we had the [Platinum] Queen’s Jubilee, and everyone cared about that a lot. We dressed up postboxes with Jubilee knitted hats and every school always did artwork for the Jubilee.”

“I think everyone is very involved with the Queen’s life, and I feel like a lot of people would be very upset about it,” Juraboeva said. “Personally, it is quite upsetting since she has been there my whole life, so it feels kind of weird, considering the fact that we do spend a lot of time talking about her.”

Floral tributes following the death of Queen Elizabeth II are placed outside the gates of Holyrood Palace on Sept. 8, 2022 in Edinburgh, United Kingdom.Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Organizations of international students sent condolences

Tributes to Queen Elizabeth II have poured in from the international education sector following her death. Organizations have emphasized the importance Her Majesty placed on youth, education, cultural exchange, leadership, and civic engagement. She was patron of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) since 1986, and the group bringing together universities across the world to address global challenges sent its deepest condolences to the Royal Family.

“Through Her Majesty’s continued patronage, the ACU has provided a forum for global universities to share information, knowledge, and ideas, and make a critical contribution to sustainable development across the Commonwealth and beyond,” ACU said.

The organization also pointed to the Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarships named after the Queen in 2019 “as a fitting tribute to her immense contribution as head of the Commonwealth, and her longstanding dedication to education and youth”. The fully-funded Master’s scholarships in low and middle-income Commonwealth countries provide “life-changing opportunities for young leaders with the energy and talent to drive positive change in their home countries and beyond”, it added.

Universities Canada also said it will continue to honour the memory of Her Majesty through the Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarships program, together with the Rideau Hall Foundation. The program, created around the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee 10 years ago for Canada, has been awarded to more than 2,200 scholars from Canada and across the globe.

"The QES program will be a permanent and tangible tribute to Her Majesty The Queen, who through a lifetime of service has embodied this sense of leadership and commitment," said Paul Davidson, Universities Canada president.

People in London pay tribute to the Queen. (Photo: Le Monde)

How Vietnamese international students react?

On the evening of September 8, Dang Thanh Van celebrated winning a UK government-sponsored Cheneving scholarship for the 2022-2023 school year at the house of the British Ambassador in Hanoi.

A few hours later, the scholarship successor learned about Queen Elizabeth II's death. "We were talking about the Queen just after seeing the Ambassador. At midnight, we were surprised to read about her death," said Van.

Van had planned to arrive in England soon to attend entertainment activities before the school year started. However, fun activities have been canceled because of UK's national mourning for the Queen.

"The Queen has a huge influence in the UK. I think the country is going through a great loss. Therefore, I am even more worried when I have to fly to the UK in just a few days," Van said. Her departure day is about to come yet no flight ticket has been sent by Chevening's airline partners.

"I don't want to push them to get my flight ticket. Initially, I want to arrive in the UK on September 12, just in time for my university's orientation week. However, considering the current situation, I think all those activities have been canceled, meaning I don't have to leave Vietnam that early anymore," said Van.

Luong Ngoc Linh, another Chevening successor, has been constantly updating the news about national mourning activities to avoid unexpected changes. Linh will enter Sequential Illustration at the University of Brighton on September 26. He said his university's upcoming activities will be changed to adapt to the Queen's funeral.

Nguyen Hoang Hai, a 23-year-old business analyst in the UK. (Photo: Zing)

Meanwhile, graduates have other concerns. Nguyen Hoang Hai, a 23-year-old business analyst, noticed many changes in the UK after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

"On the afternoon of September 8 (London time), Buckingham announced the news. People in the UK have anticipated the change, especially since the pandemic broke out. However, I can feel their sadness. All news broadcasters wear black. All events are canceled," said Nguyen Hoang Hai.

"The United Kingdom has gone through many changes from the beginning of this year. A crisis in the cost of living, inflation, change of prime minister. The Queen's death, therefore, brings the negative atmosphere to a new level."

Trung Son, a Vietnamese student in Manchester, is concerned that the Queen's national funeral will affect his living cost. Son works part-time at the football field. After the queen's death, the field canceled weekend matches, leading to Son's salary cut.

Retail stores in London have been temporarily closed, while music and sporting events across the country have been suspended to pay respects to Queen Elizabeth II. On the morning of September 9, the British flag was flown at half-mast in all government buildings and corporate headquarters. Fortnum & Mason Group has turned off the famous watch at its London Piccadilly Street store, while retailer John Lewis announced money earned from the Queen's memorial flowers at its London stores will be given to charities.

A series of events across the UK have been canceled or postponed. London Fashion Week organizers announced that "non-core business events" would be canceled. Burberry confirmed that it would not participate in London Fashion Week, scheduled to take place on September 17. Russell & Bromley, London's long-established shoe chain, also closed its stores on September 9.

Football matches across the UK will also be suspended, including the English Premier League. Premier League organizers said the decision was made after a meeting between clubs so that clubs could pay their respects to the Queen. Meanwhile, the meeting of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee scheduled for September 15 will be delayed to the following week, when the UK finishes its national mourning.

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