Latinos in London, between indifference and indignation at the lavish royal funeral

Mostly indifferent to the death of Elizabeth II, many Latinos in London are outraged by the expense of the lavish funeral real at a time of serious economic crisis, a sentiment shared with other migrant communities, especially those from former British colonies.

In many areas of the city the face of the queen, who died last Thursday at the age of 96looks at passers-by from the windows of banks, shops and cafes that hung his portraits in tribute.

But in Elephant and Castle, the quintessential Latin quarter, the image is conspicuous by its absence.

“Nobody has posted their photo, they only see each other at bus stops,” Mauricio Holguín, a 40-year-old Colombian chef who has lived in the UK for three years, tells AFP after 23 in Spain.

The monarch’s death left little mark in this part of the capital, far from Buckingham Palace and other centers of power.

“We discussed the news the first day and then already”says Holguín while, dressed in an apron, he prepares dishes at Aroma de Café, a typical Colombian food house, like almost everything at Elephant and Castle.

“People are here for another story, we are only here to work and they have to have lived here a long time to appreciate the queen”says Carlos, who prefers not to give his last name, sitting at one of the tables.

Araceli Rodríguez, 70, came to the United Kingdom from Medellin in 1978, “when Prince Charles had not even married” Diana, she says of the queen’s eldest son, now the new monarch.

He is queuing to send a remittance, but he does not intend to do it to say goodbye to the late Elizabeth II. “The monarchy in general does not give me anything, what is the use of having a queen or a king?” He asks, considering the massive “waste in tributes” “ridiculous”.

“So many queues to honor a lady who had it all”laments Rodríguez, criticizing that “even the queen’s dogs had their own room”, when in the United Kingdom many people suffer from the exorbitant cost of living.

The country registers its worst inflation in 40 years, which is expected to exceed 13% in December and puts many families in serious difficulties.

“The poverty that is seen now in England was not seen when I arrived,” assures this now-retired nursing home worker.

According to John Plassard, an analyst at the financial company Mirabaud, “the total cost of the funeral is estimated at between 34 and 37 million” dollars.

More than one is scandalized by this expense, as well as by the colossal fortune of Elizabeth II, 370 million pounds (429 million dollars) in 2022 according to the Sunday Times.

“There are people who do not agree because these monarchies have exploited the world a lot, especially the English one, which has spread throughout Africa, Asia and America,” considers Héctor Ariel Fandiño, a 43-year-old Colombian entrepreneur, in an Elephant and Castle store.

Less than 5km further south, in the colorful market of Brixton, where many migrants from former British colonies in the Caribbean live, the T-shirts with the inscription “Jamaican Queen” does not carry the photo of Elizabeth II but the profile of a young woman with an Afro hairstyle.

“We come from the Caribbean so we are not fans of the monarchy,” Liam, a young Jamaican who also works as a cook, told AFP.

“He plundered the place we came from with violence and monetary slavery for hundreds of years, so why would we do any kind of celebration?” he says with a serious face under a black beanie.

It is “sad”, he acknowledges, that “someone has lost their grandmother, their mother”. But “that people pay for the fact that she died and the funeral ceremony, I do not agree,” she adds.

Holguín sees things differently: the British “have the money and can afford” lavish state funerals.

On Wednesday, when the funeral chapel opens in London, this Colombian intends to go with his family to see the coffin.

And next Monday, the day of the funeral, his business will be closed, like many in Elephant and Castle, as a sign of respect despite everything.