Davenport British restaurant hosts Brits for final farewell to Queen Elizabeth II

DAVENPORT, Fla. - People gathered early Monday morning at the Best of British Pub and Café in Davenport for a final farewell to Queen Elizabeth II, who died on September 8. 

"They didn’t want to watch it alone, and they didn’t want to be at home. They wanted to be among friends," said Martin Thomas, who opened the pub four years ago in the small town in Polk County. 

The Davenport restaurant opened at 5:30 a.m., and some who came to watch the funeral were British that now live in the area. Others were visiting from the United Kingdom, and still others were American friends.

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"The closest thing I can put it to in an American sense is, we all lost our grandmother at the same time," said Holly Bailey, a Brit who is a regular at the pub. 

On most days, times are jolly at the Davenport pub, but people were somber Monday as they mourned and remembered the Queen. 

"We felt we just wanted to open up this morning and give people a chance to get together and enjoy each other’s company and just be together for this huge day in history," said Thomas.

Some brought their children, and they all brought their memories of the Queen whose reign stretched from a world war through a world pandemic.

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"She never had political alliances," said Bailey. "So because of that, everyone can resonate with her, you’re not divided," she said. "At home the whole country stopped, so why wouldn’t the Brits elsewhere just stop? Just for a minute and remember the amazing 70 years that this woman served us." 

The Queen was much like a grandmother to millions of loyal subjects far and wide, including those in Davenport. 

"Whether you like the royals or not, I think on the human level she was an incredible lady, probably like we won’t see again," said Thomas.