In Pasadena, A Royalist Mourns the Passing of Queen Elizabeth 

Early Thursday morning as news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II reached around the world, Edmund Fry, longtime owner with his wife Mary of Rose Tree Cottage in Pasadena, began to notice delivery truck drivers and motorists passing his shop were honking and waving in support as they drove by.

Likely it was the English flags and banners fluttering in the front yard of his English Tea Room and Tea Garden, all waving proudly next to a portrait of the Queen.

Now, after the death at 96 of Queen Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of her other realms and territories, Fry’s latest yard banner simply reads, “Thank you for everything.” 

The banner is based on a Twitter tribute Thursday from the legendary children’s storybook character, Paddington Bear, who, following the news of the Queen’s passing, tweeted, “Thank you, Ma’am, for everything.” 

“This loss is very personal to me,” Fry said, standing in the outdoor dining area of the cottage Friday, covered in anticipation of the weekend’s proper rain storm. 

“We are royalists,” he said of himself and his wife, Mary,  “and I feel very close to her.”

Fry said that his very earliest memories are that of growing up in England during three years of World War 2, under a black night sky filled with Nazi bombers.

“For those three years,” he said. “England was dark. No lights anywhere at night, little heat, and little food.”

His family lived near Windsor Castle, at the time the home of Elizabeth, only just a teen of 18 in 1944. The princess was determined to ‘do her bit’ for the war effort, as so many of her peers were. Within a year of turning 18, Elizabeth would sign up for service, join the Auxiliary Territorial Service and work as a driver and mechanic. She was later promoted to Junior Commander, a rank equivalent to captain. 

Learning about all this later made a distinct impression on young Edmund, who remained a staunch supporter of the Royal Family ever since. 

“I went to her coronation,” he said, as well as watched other royal events on the “telly” over the years. “This is so very sad. She was our mother.”

Fry eventually took his love of all things England to Southern California and opened his own original authentic tea house on Lake Avenue, when, in the 70s, after working as the official tea buyer for the Wilshire Bullock’s dining room, a legendary LA see-and-be-seen spot, he was aghast that even they could not make a “proper cup of tea.”

“I had been around tea all my life,” he said. “I knew I could do a better job of it.” Thus was born the Rose Tree Cottage, now situated on a tricky curve along Pasadena Avenue near Huntington Health (formerly called Huntington Hospital).

The decades-old property is a living tribute to the Mother Country, festooned with photos, flags and mementos, selling English teas, sundries, and delicacies, and serving an authentic High Tea (“Never, ever before noon”) 

The ever-proper Fry is on duty every day, always dressed in a very English tails complete with white gloves. He could likely have filled every kitchen or staff position at Downton Abbey.

For now, however, the shop is closed, with only sporadic service this weekend, he explained, saying, “We are in mourning.” 

But Fry promises a return to daily services in about a week. The Rose Tree Cottage will also hold its own memorial service for the Queen, at a date to be announced, he said.

The Rose Tree Cottage is at 801 South Pasadena Avenue, Pasadena, CA. (626) 793-3337. www.rosetreecottage.com.