Bermuda has been featured in an article in the Washington Post about the island’s reaction to Queen Elizabeth II’s passing.

Toronto-based reporter Amanda Coletta interviewed several Bermuda residents including some who frequent the Bermuda Musical and Dramatic Society.

Alan Brooks, a retail manager who served in the Royal Navy and who has graced the theatre’s stage on occasion, told the Post: “We feel an affinity towards her. Whenever there have been any special occasions in her life that we felt we needed to mark, we’ve marked them. … And sadly, we’re now marking the last event in her life.”

The article highlight’s how members of the community theatre celebrate the Queen and Royal family including screening Royal weddings and marking the Platinum Jubilee.

It said about two dozen members gathered at the theatre bar and watched the Queen’s funeral on Monday while enjoying bacon sandwiches and mimosas.

“Those gathered at the theatre watched in mostly pin-drop silence. Some sang, softly, or hummed the hymns. Everyone stood for God Save the King.”

Jennifer Campbell, a Canadian who has lived in Bermuda since 2001 and is involved with the theatre, said she was “in awe” of the Queen.

Ms Campbell, who was dressed in a shirt with a sequinned Union Jack flag, was quoted as saying: “She made a vow to serve her entire life when she became queen and she did it.

“She never, ever floundered. Her commitment was to the monarchy and she never swayed from that. … I know a lot of people have different feelings about the monarchy itself.”

Not everyone interviewed was so enthusiastic. Kris Smith, a 25-year-old project manager, didn’t watch the funeral on Monday but spend his morning planning his week instead and afternoon walking his dog.

“I am very upset with the holiday,” Mr Smith told the Post. “Lots to do and everything’s closed.”

The article also quotes a recent article in The Royal Gazettein which a spokeswoman for Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda described independence as “a natural progression” for a modern democracy. She added: “The death of the monarch should not in itself be a trigger for Bermudians to pursue independence …

“We have been settled since 1612, we have our own constitution, laws, traditions, currency and culture; and frankly it is very difficult to see how being a colony or Overseas Territory benefits Bermuda in any tangible way.”