World says goodbye to Queen Elizabeth in cafes and consulates

In Hong Kong, hundreds followed Queen Elizabeth’s funeral on their phones as they lined up for hours to pay their respects. In Sydney, Australia, customers flocked to pubs to watch the ceremony on screens.

In Paris, France, bar owner Thibaud Dupont showed off his new monarch tattoo on his forearm.

“She was not our queen, but she reigned in Britain for 70 years. The only other who reigned the longest was Louis XIV. And that’s a common story,” he told Reuters.

Around the world, crowds gathered outside British embassies and consulates and in cafes, bars and other public places to witness the pomp of the ceremony that unfolded thousands of miles from their homes.

“His presence is literally everywhere,” said IT professional Victor Lai outside the British Consulate General in Hong Kong, where people have lined up for the past 10 days to sign a memorial book.

“You have the hospitals, the schools and even the roads that still bear her name,” added the 30-year-old.

Nearby, visitors piled flowers, handwritten notes, photographs, candles and other souvenirs in the center of a city still marked by its 156 years of British colonial rule.

The queen served as Hong Kong’s head of state for 45 years, presiding over a period of rapid development that some consider a golden age.

In the United States, the funeral was covered from end to end by cable channels and was featured on early morning television talk shows.

Across the border in Ottawa, Canadians – most of them with raincoats and umbrellas to protect themselves from the rain – held a military parade in honor of the Queen, who was also their head of state.