TAMPA, Fla. — As the world says goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II, for many young people, it means a big chapter of what they’ve grown up with is coming to a close. 

Some are spending this historical time away from their families across the globe. 

What You Need To Know

  • Lauren King, Miya Jones and Tallulah Thomas are exchange students from the U.K. studying at the University of South Florida

  • They say being in the U.S. when Queen Elizabeth II died has been a surreal experience

  • They also say that it will take a while to get used to having a king after having a queen their entire lives

Lauren King, Miya Jones and Tallulah Thomas are juniors at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, but they’re spending this year in the United States as exchange students at the University of South Florida.

“I was in a lecture and I get a news notification and it said that the queen had died," King said. "I was not expecting that at all, and no one in my class reacted at all."

“Everyone is very involved in royal affairs," Jones added. "So it was very odd being here when no one is reacting."

They say this is their first time in the U.S. without their families, and witnessing the reign of Queen Elizabeth II end so quickly is a surreal feeling.

“We’ll have to change all our currency so it’ll have to have the king’s face on it instead of the queen, so they have to retract,” King said.

“Twenty pound, 10 pound, five pound, and then all the coins eventually will have Charles' face on them,” said Thomas.

“Even the National Anthem — having to change that to say God save the king instead of God save the queen, that feels really odd,” said Jones.

From currency, to passports, to community spirit, they say the queen was the face of the nation.

“It’s really unnatural to hear 'God save the king,' because it’s always everyone saying 'God save the queen,' and everything is about the queen," said King. "Well now it is King Charles and that just doesn’t feel right yet."

“It is nice that we’ve known such a powerful, especially female, leader as well, especially being girls,” said Jones.

“It’s almost sad to think we’ll never have a queen again in our lifetime because the next few heirs will be kings," Thomas said. "It’s a very kind of momentous occasion that we’ve been able to be part of history to witness, which I think is kind of a really humbling feeling, you know? To witness the end of the longest reigning monarch of all time."