The death of Queen Elizabeth II has led to public displays of grief around the world, from public gatherings at Buckingham Palace in London to individuals reflecting on what she meant to them.
Most people who grieve or acknowledge the queen's passing will never meet her.
Is it different from mourning someone we were close to?
Some similarities and some stark differences can be found. The grieving process can be complicated by a tussle over how the Queen is remembered.
Grieving someone is a chance to reflect on our lifetime connection and the attachment we had with them.
Many of us grew up with the Queen even though she wasn't part of our immediate family.
She has been a part of our lives for 70 years. These are cross-tergenerational connections. We all feel like we know her.
We have been preparing for her death. Her advanced aged, health issues, and plans for what happens after her death have been covered by the media.
The type of grief we are seeing now can be very similar to having someone in our own life and then losing them.
Grieving for a public figure such as the Queen can be very different.
We don't have a close connection with that person. Many don't have personal stories or one-on-one experiences. We don't have a lot of intertwined memories. It is hard to create an image of who that person really was and what they meant to us.
After the death of a public figure, we rely on community experiences for a type of collective grief that shapes how we share our grief online.
Our perception of the Queen is not based on facts because we didn't know her very well.
How an individual remembers her may be influenced by her age, political views, and even her life's experiences.
There is a fight going on on social media about how she is remembered in the UK. People share different reactions to her death.
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It raises questions about whether we are allowed to grieve, who can voice our grief, and whether grieving is appropriate.
There are many different reactions to her loss.
The media has an important role to play in grieving.
We have been anticipating the news of the Queen's passing due to constant coverage and real-time updates. The news arrived.
This front-row seat can be triggering for some people.
For people who have lost a loved one recently or years ago, this rolling media coverage may bring back memories.
They might not have been able to deliver end-of-life care or attend a funeral in person due to covid restrictions.
Being updated on every single step of the Queen's illness and now death can cause us to experience loss. We have to be gentle with the different reactions.
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