Massive portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on display at Polo Park
Posted September 17, 2022 5:36 pm.
Last Updated September 17, 2022 5:41 pm.
Winnipeggers wanting to pay their final respects to Queen Elizabeth II had a chance to do so by visiting a local mall this weekend.
A massive portrait of the Queen, who passed away last week, has been temporarily set up at Polo Park.
The portrait used to be a fixture in the old Winnipeg arena.
READ: Queen’s 8 grandchildren hold silent vigil beside her coffin
Winnipeggers stopped to take pictures of the portrait on Saturday. One of them was Lillian Moszynski, who described the moment as particularly special.
It isn’t the first time Moszynski has been in the presence of the Queen. She says she had a real-life encounter with Her Majesty in 1951, when the British Royal was in Winnipeg as a princess – her first official visit to Manitoba.
“She was at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and I was only 10 and I saw her as a princess… I still have a great deal of respect for her.”
Now, decades after Moszynski saw Elizabeth in the flesh, she says the loss of the Queen signifies the end of an era.
She believes the response to her death has shown how many people held the monarch in their heart.
“I feel it’s a lot of history and now, it has shown how it has brought people together and we really need that, but it does represent a long period of history,” said Moszynski.
“I think it shows respect for someone that has given the country a lot of service.”
