This article is to make a record of this historic period in history to show how Mallorca marked the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
From the announcement to the reaction from not only locals but ex-pats too, as well the atmosphere during the funeral in two of the most popular holiday resorts.
How news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II broke in Mallorca
At 6:30 pm UK time (7:30 pm in Mallorca) on the 8th of September 2022, news from Buckingham Palace broke that Queen Elizabeth II had passed away.
The news was announced just five minutes later in the Majorca Daily Bulletin with this article.
As the hours followed, the news broke across all other local and Spanish press including broadcast news.
Holidaymakers visiting the island for what should be a happy break were in shock and gathered in sadness in bars throughout the holiday resorts.
Many hotels including the Globales Santa Lucia and Hotel Tropico in Palmanova made official announcements to their largely British clientele.
As social media filled with tributes, I was asked by the Majorca Daily Bulletin to go to Palmanova and ask what the news meant to British holidaymakers.
You can see the video here. It wasn’t an easy video to film at all, but I appreciated those who spoke to me.
I talked about my experience in making this video here.
I spoke with many visitors that day. Many spoke of their shock and sadness.
The resounding feeling from these holidaymakers was that of complete detachment from the UK.
The almost unreality of being on holiday at a time of national mourning. This didn’t sit well with many.
Visitors felt cut off and removed from the huge level of emotion that would normally be experienced from being in the UK surrounded by family and friends.
How news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II affected ex-pats
Some residents took flights home, and the cost of flights to London rose rapidly to meet demand.
For many ex-pats, the feeling is the same.
For those like ex-pats like myself living in Mallorca who have been on the island for many years, we are accustomed to the feeling of being cut off from national events, public holidays, and the marking of national events, or Remembrance days.
Choosing a life in the sun in another country, accepting the language and the change of culture does not mean losing our British identity in times like these.
We are used to seeing life go on as normal around us, and we watch our TV screens, and those who have to work, catch moments throughout the day glancing at mobile phones.
For visitors to Mallorca on holiday during this unique time in history, this feeling of sadness and detachment is intensified by being away from home.
And in the days following her passing, we’ve joined the rest of the world watching the YouTube live streams from Westminster Hall, of the queues running miles through London as visitors paying their respects to the Queen lying in State.
The bars and restaurants with TVs throughout Mallorca broadcast wall-to-wall coverage following the events of the announcement of the Queen’s death.
Books of condolences were open in the British Embassy and the Anglican Church in Palma. This allowed residents and holidaymakers visiting Mallorca to pay their respects.
From a personal point of view, my Spanish friends all wanted to talk about the Queen’s death.
Spanish neighbours stopped me in the street and talked about what her death meant to them as many had visited or lived in the UK.
As I went about my day-to-day life, customer service staff in shops and offices mentioned her passing.
It was a moment in history that touched many on the island regardless of nationality.
How Mallorca marked the death of Queen Elizabeth II
There is no public holiday in Mallorca, and it was business as usual.
The day of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II felt no different, as Mallorca started another Monday with residents heading into work.
The International Schools, where many teachers are British opened as usual and lessons went on as normal.
I visited Palmanova and Magaluf, just two resorts in Mallorca hugely popular with English holidaymakers to make a record of this historic occasion.
The atmosphere here was of course very different.
The temperature was hot and sunny, and 28 degrees Celsius compared to a grey and cloudy 16 degrees in London.
Beaches remained busy as many holidaymakers opted to watch the funeral on their phones.
But there was an eerie atmosphere throughout the normally bustling resorts.
Bars and restaurants whose visitors would normally watch sporting events from the TV screens opened early as holidaymakers arrived for this landmark event and to pay their respects.
In Palmanova, the Piano Bar, Reflex, the Dolphin, Banana Joes, Rumbos, Bora Bora, Monroes, The Three Brothers, Siso Beach, and BeMax Beach House were just a few of the bars to broadcast the funeral.
In Magaluf, holidaymakers gathered in Benny Hills bar.
There was collective grief, felt not only here in Mallorca, but all over the world.
The sadness has been immense.
This article has been written to record the events as they happened in Mallorca, Spain.
Queen Elizabeth II – 1926 to 2022.
