ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — It’s well known that Queen Elizabeth II enjoyed afternoon tea. So despite more than 4,000 miles separating St. Petersburg from Westminster Hall in London, Jack’s London Grill served up “The Queen's Tea” with a delectable variety of thoroughly British delights as customers paid their respects virtually to the queen.

“It has seemed to pull together countries who may be arguing things like Britain and the rest of Europe”, said British native Simon Dawkins. He has spent the last 30 years living in the states, but Dawkins says if he was in London right now, he would wait in the queue for hours to pay his respects, because he feels he’s always had a brief but significant connection to the queen’s life and death.

“My old boss back in Hull, he’s since become the Lord Lieutenant of that area,” he said. “So he’s the one who proclaimed the death of the queen and God save the King.” The memory he cherishes most is the one and only time he got to see the queen, albeit briefly, with his own eyes.

“I was one of the crowd on the side of the road and she drove down my high street in Chamsford in Essex and she drove right by me,” he said. “It was just a feeling, just a very unique feeling you get when.. there she is! There’s the queen.”

And although this is the time to mourn the queen’s passing, Dawkins says he can’t help but celebrate the unique way her death has a unifying effect that’s stretching around the globe.

“There’s something magical about pulling the whole country together and that you can put your differences to one side because of one human being who made a difference,” he said. “Her last gift to people to her people in a way.”