NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)— If you’ve seen Margarita Bergen around New Orleans, she’s always wearing hats. With a collection of more than 300, she says that Queen Elizabeth II herself inspired her to wear these beautiful fashion statements.
“She made wearing hats more fashionable than it ever was,” Bergen told WGNO’s Kenny Lopez.
On Monday, she watched from home as thousands gathered to celebrate Her Majesty’s life across the pond.
“So sad. So solemn. I love all this pageantry, saying goodbye to the Queen,” Bergen explained. “I was very fortunate and it was an honor to attend her jubilee. I never met her, but I saw her from a distance.”
Bergen feels a connection to the Royal Family because she attended the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in February, marking Elizabeth’s 70th year of reign. A highlight of the Royal Jubilee for Bergen was seeing the Queen’s son, the man who would become King.
“King Charles. I was always in love with him, when he was an eligible bachelor,” she said.
Bergen’s been to England 12 times and says watching the funeral has made her reflect on Queen Elizabeth’s incredible legacy.
“I admire that sense of responsibility, that sense of duty. To me, as a woman, I always admire all the women in power,” she said.
To honor the Queen, Bergen made an altar with orchids and rose petals and the flag she got from the Royal Jubilee. But now that the Queen’s reign is over, she feels like crying.
“I am devastated. She has been the Queen for as long as I know,” she said.
Following Monday’s funeral, Queen Elizabeth will make her final journey from Westminster Abbey to Windsor, where she will be buried with her husband, Prince Phillip who died last year.
Stay up to date with the latest news, weather and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play stores and by subscribing to the WGNO newsletter.