43 INTERNATIONAL Students witnessed the historic aftermath of Queen Elizabeth II’s death firsthand while studying abroad in London. The Harding University in England (HUE) group was finishing up their travels in England when the news broke. “My mom had texted me that morning about the queen being sick,” sophomore Scarlett Davis said. “She thought the queen might die while I was still in London, but that was such a rare thing.” Davis walked into a coffee shop on the afternoon of the queen’s death and immediately realized something was wrong. “Random people were shouting about the queen dying,” Davis said. “Everyone was on their phones waiting for an update.” Once the news spread to all of the HUE students, they mourned the death of the queen with the rest of the world. Some students went to shops and tried to buy flowers for the gates of Buckingham Palace; however, most shops were sold out, and the gates were crowded. The crowds around the palace itself were so large that people were climbing up the Victoria Memorial because there was nowhere else to stand. “I could feel their sadness as they all flocked to see the royal notice on the gate,” sophomore Haydn Corker said. Harding University in England students experience London after Queen Elizabeth II’s death. BIG SMILES UNDER BIG BEN HUE students stand in front of Elizabeth Tower in London, England. The HUE program was studying abroad in London when Queen Elizabeth II died Sept. 8, 2022. Photo courtsey of: Scarlett Davis “I, as an American, could not relate to the British people on a deeper level with the queen’s passing.” With this historic event, many students took advantage of their rare opportunity of location. Davis went live on Instagram, where she explained all the emotions firsthand. In addition, two broadcasting students filmed a package about the tragedy to submit for contests. Three students were asked to be on Arkansas news outlets explaining what they experienced. “I originally thought that it would be HU16,” sophomore Hunter Corker said. “The news communicator told us about 10 minutes before that this would be on KARK, which was a shock since it was a major news channel.” Hunter Corker and two other students joined a Zoom call that night from their hotel and answered some questions for KARK, the Little Rock NBC affiliate. They sent in their own videos and photos on their devices for the station to use. The station released their package the next morning, and the students continued their travels through Europe. “The world had truly paused that day,” Davis said. “No one knew what was to come in the next couple of days.” Written by: Adele Duncan
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