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St. Louisans honor and remember Queen Elizabeth II

They say she ruled with kindness and unforgettable grace.

ST. LOUIS — St. Louisans are mourning the death of Queen Elizabeth II as her grace and impact reached across the ocean and touched the lives of many.

For more than 70 years Queen Elizabeth impacted people around the world.

“She would have been a pretty incredible lady to sit down and have a cup of tea with,” Jackie James, the London Tea Room owner, said.

Mark Taylor, Washington University professor, said she has been a pillar of stability over a very, very long period. 

"And now that's changed, it's a changing world," Taylor said. 

In St. Louis at The London Tea Room, James said she was the only monarch her family knew.

“I think definitely shock was the first thing because even though she was definitely aging and becoming more frail...I think in a way, she's been Queen for so long, my whole lifetime, that I just couldn't even imagine the time coming, that we would lose her,” James said.

James said Queen Elizabeth served the country with unforgettable grace.

“She just reigned with such graciousness and even when terrible things happened, when things were really difficult, she just had so much grace," James said. 

"She never spoke badly about anything and she never showed that she was upset," James said. "She was just able to be so gracious and I think to me that was an incredible example."

Taylor said he met the Queen while teaching at Oxford University.

“She came to my group, and we had a conversation and I spoke to her for what felt like about a year, but probably about two minutes,” Taylor said.

While James never met the Queen, she said she was a fantastic example to her as a young girl.

“I was with the Girl Guides, or Girl Scouts and that was back in 1977, when it was her Silver Jubilee," James said. "So she would have been reigning for 25 years at that point."

"...and I remember how we commemorated her and we had a keepsake mug, which I still have to this day...,” James said.

Taylor said he hopes in honor of Queen Elizabeth people will take a little bit of her kindness and work together rather than against each other.

“The Queen was able to really rise above that change and be a force for constancy, a force for kindness in the world and I think going forward, we need to sort of think about and reflect on that,” Taylor said.

James said she will never forget Queen Elizabeth.

“I think that history will go down and show Queen Elizabeth II to be one of the greatest rulers of all time,” James said.

St. Louisans wanting to honor the Queen can come out to The London Tea Room and write their condolences in a book that will be delivered directly to The Royal Family.

They will be open Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for anyone who would like to come by.

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