Hundreds of Hongkongers mourn and pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth, ‘the lady in charge’ under British rule
- Special condolence book made available as residents mourn monarch known with affection as ‘si tau po’
- British monarch visited city twice with husband Prince Philip in 70-year reign, in 1975 and 1986
People from all walks of life in Hong Kong remembered the late Queen Elizabeth during colonial times as the si tau po – a Cantonese term of endearment that translates as “the lady in charge”– as hundreds visited the British consulate on Friday to offer their condolences.
Members of the public, some visibly distressed, laid floral tributes and formed patient queues outside the British diplomatic mission in Admiralty to sign a book of condolence which will be available until next Friday.
An outpouring of sympathy also swept social media as people posted sentimental messages alongside pictures of the monarch’s two visits to Hong Kong in 1975 and 1986 in a reign that spanned more than seven decades.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu joined a chorus of world leaders who mourned the death of the British royal.
“On behalf of the people and [the Hong Kong government], it is with great sadness that I express our profound condolences on the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom … She was greatly respected, admired and praised by the British people,” Lee said on Friday.
Buckingham Palace announced in the early hours of Friday, Hong Kong time, that the country’s longest-serving head of state had died, aged 96, peacefully at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
The British consulate, which lowered the British flag to half-mast on Friday, will open to members of the public to pay tribute for six days. It also expressed deep sadness at the queen’s death.