The death of Queen Elizabeth II and USU community’s remarks

Throughout history, there are days that have significant impact — days that people remember and can tell you exactly where they were and what they were doing.  

 On Sept. 8, the British royal family announced the death of Queen Elizabeth II.  

 Early in the morning, it was reported that the queen was sick and under medical attention. She passed away that afternoon.  

 The queen was 96 years old at the time of her death and had reigned as the British monarch for 70 years.  

 The effect of the queen’s death reached all the way to Utah State University.  

 “She was like a huge grandma to everyone — she was just always happy, always there, even though you didn’t actually personally know her,” said Becca Hulse, a senior studying costume design. “You just knew, you know, of her, and if she walked into a room she would brighten everything up.”  

 Hulse is originally from England and moved to the United States with her parents when she was nine years old.  

 Though she now resides in Cache Valley, she still has strong ties to her homeland. Hulse and her parents try to return every year to visit her extended family. 

  For Hulse and her family, the death of the queen was very impactful.  

 “Since she’s been ruling for like 70 whatever years, that’s all we’ve known. My family has been brought up with her,” Hulse said. “So it was a big shock.” 

 The news of the queen’s death spread through the news and from person to person, everyone finding out in their own way.  

 USU student Chase Peterson was in an international relations class when he heard the news of the queen’s passing.  

 “It was five minutes before the class ended,” Peterson said. “This guy in the back raised his hand. So (the professor) called on him to speak, and he said ‘This is totally off topic, but the Queen just died.’ And then everyone was like, ‘What?’ and the professor was like, ‘Wait, say that again.’” 

 Blake Muir, a staff assistant at the USU History Department, said the length of the queen’s reign made the announcement of her death more powerful. 

 “She literally is the longest reigning monarch,” said Muir. “I think there was something amazing about that. Seeing that she was no longer going to be around felt very scary.” 

 Some, like Muir, were very passionate about the queen, and her death impacted them greatly. Others seemed to be more indifferent. 

 “I was just kind of surprised. I guess I don’t really know a lot about her. I mean, I knew she existed,” said Mckenna Fielding, a senior studying social work.  

 “I just think she’s been old my whole life,” said USU student Laney Flood. “So, I’ve always been waiting for the day that she was going to die, but never actually thought it was ever going to happen.”  

 But even those who didn’t know much about the queen were still shocked by her death.  

 “Well, everyone was so upset about it. It was like, ‘Oh my gosh, the queen died. First Betty White, now the queen. What are we going to do?’” said Drista Ricord, a first-year student studying social work. 

 Many people took their thoughts about the queen’s death to the internet by sharing memes, making TikToks and writing tweets. 

 “When someone dies, it’s immediate internet fodder. ‘Oh, we can make memes about it. We can state opinions that we have on it that no one wants to hear about,’” Peterson said. “We live in that time when something happens. We want to make a meme about it.” 

 However, some say the content has gone too far. 

 “I think making fun of any human life is disrespectful,” Muir said. “I think that yes, we cope with tragedy really by laughing and by making things fun, but with certain things I’ve always had a hard time thinking that it’s okay to make a mockery of the death of a human being when it’s causing pain to other people.” 

 Aside from reminiscing on the queen’s reign, many have expressed thoughts about her son and successor, King Charles III. 

 “I do not like Charles,” Muir said. “I do not think he’s fit to rule. And I believe that rather than the throne going to him, it should go straight to his son, William.” 

 An American point of controversy surrounding the queen’s passing was that President Biden requested flags be kept at half-staff out of respect. Flags stayed at half-staff until Sept. 19, the day of her funeral. 

 “I was a little confused about that because it’s not one of the American leaders,” said USU student Zoe Holdaway. “And we haven’t really done it for a lot of other cultures that I know of. But I think that it’s a sign of respect because we have a good relationship with her country, so I don’t necessarily disagree with it.” 

 Some people expressed that the flags should not have been lowered because she wasn’t an American leader, but Hulse, along with Holdaway, understood it as a sign of respect. 

 “I think it’s important and respectful, even though America’s not part of the Commonwealth,” Hulse said.  

 The crowning of a new monarch after 70 years comes with a lot of changes. For one, English currency will be changed from featuring a picture of the queen to one of King Charles III.  

 “It’s been kind of rough. Because it’s such a big change,” said Hulse. “It’s such a big, huge moment of ‘What the heck is happening?’”