The Gate Museum

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Atlanta mourns Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and honors His Majesty King Charles

13-03-2023

Crowds gathered at the Prince of Wales's World Athletes Monument in Atlanta early morning on Monday September 19th to watch the live broadcast of the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The service began at 6:00 AM EST, and supporters arrived beginning at 5:00, well before daybreak. Mourners had been laying flowers and mementos at the base of the statue all week, and many brought more on Monday morning as they gathered to pay tribute to the queen.

The World Athletes Monument is the only building erected directly by King Charles III outside of Great Britain. His Majesty the King was integrally involved in its design. It was gifted by his Prince of Wales’s Foundation for Architecture to the City of Atlanta and the people of Georgia to commemorate the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games. The National Monuments Foundation, Midtown Alliance, and Fulton County are joint custodians of the monument. 

The monument has become a gathering place for citizens of Atlanta since the Queen’s passing on September 8, 2022. Scores of flower bouquets, Paddington Bears, other stuffed animals such as horses and corgi dogs (animals that the Queen loved), paintings, and other memorabilia were laid at the base of the monument in her honor over the ten days between her death and her funeral. The public also left numerous letters and cards of such intimacy and impact on American lives from every writer, each also stating they had never met her.

Peachtree was partially closed thanks to Mayor Dickens and large crowds gathered early on the morning of Monday, September 19, 2022 for the live funeral broadcast from Westminster Abbey, followed by extraordinary remarks from British Consul General Rachel Galloway.

Fulton County Commissioner Robb Pitts spoke after the consul general while a large Jumbotron continued to broadcast the Queen’s funeral procession to Windsor Castle behind the dignitaries. Bishop Dexter Johnson delivered a beautiful and moving prayer, and Judge Christopher Portis ended the ceremony with great dignity. NMF president Rodney Cook's remarks were of a more personal nature.