The villa where Princess Elizabeth and her husband lived before she became queen has become a focal point of remembrance of the late monarch.
Since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 1951, the Villa Guardamangia has been filled with flowers and mourners. Philip was assigned to Malta in the early years of their marriage.
During her final visit to the island nation in 2015, the queen told a Commonwealth meeting that visiting Malta is very special to her. When we were first married, I remember happy days here.
Residents of Malta generally remember the monarch with respect, unlike in other former colonies where the monarch's death conjures up memories of oppression or economic disparity.
Villa Guardamangia was purchased by the Maltese government in 2020 in order to turn it into a museum detailing the history of the Maltese relationship with the British monarchy.
There are people who remember that Britain colonized us. People don't mix the issue of being colonized and the queen The queen was well respected.
George Vella will represent the country at the queen's funeral.
Some people want the country to become closer to the United Kingdom, even though the country has a history of political unrest. In the 1950s, a major political party tried to integrate with the U.K., but failed. Malta became a republic in 1974.
Noel Zarb, who helped handle communications for the Maltese president at the time of the monarch's last visit, said that Queen Elizabeth II was the only one who could call home outside of the UK.
Most of the former British colonies of the Commonwealth are now democracies. As recently as the 2015 meeting in Valletta, Zarb said that there was still a warm feeling.
Coleiro Preca said that the queen had fond memories of her time in Malta and remained interested in the island.
The former president said that she remembered a lot of information about her time in the country at the beginning of her marriage.
She was interested in the Maltese people as well. She spoke to me about the food in Malta, and I took her Maltese products and oranges.
More than 1,400 people signed an online petition calling for a statue to be created in Elizabeth's honor. There was a debate on the internet as to whether the tribute was appropriate.
One of the Maltese with fond memories of the queen is Aldo Muscat, whose family has a long history of providing flowers for royal events.
Her staff wrote thank you letters to him, his father and grandfather.
The queen liked flowers and we were thanked a lot.
The personal touches helped cement the relationship between the two countries. Coleiro Preca said her daughter bumped into the queen.
My daughter was stopped by a woman. Coleiro Preca said that her daughter was studying in England and that she inquired about her future plans. The person was behind a mother.
That's right.
Follow the coverage of Queen Elizabeth II by The Associated Press.
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