The British in Benidorm give the last goodbye to Elizabeth II

Hundreds of people, most of them British residents in Benidorm, who were joined by English people who are spending a few days off in the city, gathered last night at Plaza Derramador, next to the Rincón de Loix Municipal Tourist Office to pay tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

The mayor, Toni Pérez, participated in the event, along with the Councilor for Foreign Residents, Ana Pellicer, and other members of the government team, including the provincial deputy, José Ramón González de Zárate. The British representation was chaired by the vice consul in Alicante Sara Munsterhjelm and was attended by members of the Alicante Branch of the Royal British Legion, including its president, Jack Kemp.

The tribute arose spontaneously among the British community of Benidorm after the City Council installed the tribute point in the Rincón and was disseminated among residents by the Association of British Merchants of Benidorm chaired by Karen Mailing Cowles. In the call, attendees were suggested to come dressed in clothes that combined the colours of the British flag: red, white and blue.

In her speech, most of it in English, Sara Munsterhjelm recalled that Queen Elizabeth II was "an example of service for seventy years" and thanked Toni Pérez "for the effort of having dedicated this space so that the British could come", as well as his message of condolence, "one more example of the friendship between our peoples."

The banner of the Royal British Legion, as indicated by British protocol, bowed with the bugle call announcing the duel and the attendees observed three minutes of silence. Next, the ‘Union Jack,’ the flag of the United Kingdom, was lowered in mourning to be hoisted three-quarters of the way up the mast and its national anthem, now renamed: God Save The King, was played.