Wreaths Laid At Queen’s Old Maltese Home As Island Pays Tribute To Monarch
Flowers, cards with messages and ornate wreaths are being laid outside of Villa Guardamangia, the home the late Queen Elizabeth II lived in during her time in Malta.
“Villa Guardamangia, once brimming with the bustle of everyday life, today stands in sombre silence as people lay wreaths at its door to pay their last respects to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who resided at the villa intermittently between 1949 and 1951, when she was still a princess,” Heritage Malta said, sharing images of the front door.
“Her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was an officer of the Royal Navy at the time and Princess Elizabeth was known to frequently wave him goodbye from the Harbour Fire Command station at Fort St Elmo. Those were happy times, unlike the heavy aura engulfing the villa today.”
Villa Guardamangia represents the close relationship between Great Britain and Malta in the past 200 years or so. It was purchased by the Government of Malta and formally entrusted to Heritage Malta in June 2020.
Eman Borg Mercieca, President of LGBTI+ Malta and member of Queen’s Young Leaders Malta, was among those who personally visited the home to send tribute to the longest serving British monarch.
“On behalf of Queen’s Young Leaders Malta, today we paid our respect to Her Majesty Elizabeth II. Our lives were impacted by her commitment to youth leadership and celebrating our work. Her 70 year legacy will live on through our activism.”
Malta has reacted strongly to the Queen’s passing, with a petition to build a public statue dedicated to her already being set up as well as a public book of condolences opened in Ta’ Xbiex for anyone who would like to send a more personal statement.
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