RALEIGH, N.C. — When Queen Elizabeth II died Thursday, it resonated with many British people no longer living in the United Kingdom. 

 

What You Need To Know 

Julia Carpenter, who lives in Raleigh, was born in the United Kingdom 

She has lived in the U.S. for more than 50 years 

Carpenter said the crown stood out amongst other world royalties

 

Julia Carpenter is one of them.

“This is a really, a very sad day. She is probably the most famous woman in the world, and today we’ve lost her,” Carpenter said.

Her majesty’s memory won’t fade from Carpenter’s mind. She keeps a piece of her homeland in the study of her Raleigh house. Books she has include photos, stories and details about the queen’s life.

“It's a wonderful book with all her milestones and pictures of her and the family,” Carpenter said as she flipped through the pages of a commemoration to the late monarch’s reign.

The face of royalty holds a special place in her heart, and it's quite a change for the 67-year-old woman for the queen to no longer be on the throne.

“She went throughout the commonwealth, the realm. She was so beloved and so well traveled. I mean, she is just an amazing person. When you think of the queen, you think of Queen Elizabeth II,” Carpenter said. “I think she did this without fault for over 70 years. She was our queen. We’ve known no other.”

Carpenter has lived in America for more than 50 years, but the loss of the queen still hit her hard.

“And (she was) almost the mother of our country!” Carpenter exclaimed. “I think it’s affecting everybody.”

She is referencing the Brits who live in the state. 

“People are having cups of tea around the Triangle and North Carolina today, and thinking of her and reflecting on the times,” she said.

That’s why she penned a badge on her chest. It’s a symbol of her membership to the Daughters of the British Empire — a local chapter of a national society for British natives in the Oak City. The DBE raises money for retirement homes and other nonprofits.

“People have been calling me. My friends from all over. My friends who are Americans are just saying that they are thinking about me and thinking about our country,” Carpenter said.

It’s a loss Carpenter will feel for a long time.

“She’s a treasure, and she will be missed,” she said.

Queen Elizabeth II was 96 years old at her time of death. She is the longest serving monarch in British history.