paris after laying flowers outside the british embassy in paris for queen elizabeth ii victoria cazals stopped to ponder why the death of the 96yearold monarch had touched her and france so deeply i never knew my own grandparents and it feels like ive lost my grandmother the 48yearold from southern toulouse said as she choked back tears in the absence of a french royal family she said she followed all the major events in the life of the windsors the babies the marriages and what the queen did france famously guillotined its king and queen following its 1789 revolution and turned the page definitively on its monarchy in 1848 the original rebellion against the crown is today the founding story of the modern state proudly hailed as the first victory in the march for universal human rights over tyranny but the generous tributes from politicians the walltowall media coverage and personal displays of affection have revealed a deep gallic attachment to elizabeth ii to you she was your queen to us she was the queen president emmanuel macron said in one of several warm messages of condolence last week adding that we all feel an emptiness news presenters on state television have been wearing black ties as a mark of respect and french flags have been ordered to fly at half mast on public buildings on the day of her funeral others outside the embassy in paris spoke of their admiration for elizabeths personal qualities chiefly her devotion and longevity but also hinted at deeper more political reasons she represented a form of stability a unifying figure said veronique a 63yearold retired legal worker after laying flowers we maybe miss having this point of stabilityphilippe marliere a french political scientist at university college london suggested that many french people had a royalist streak and a form of nostalgia for their blueblooded forebears beneath the republican veneer theres a sort of monarchical atavism even though france got rid of its monarchy a long time ago he said the modern state has retained its love of pomp and pageantry from its royalist days and the current constitution with its allpowerful president sought to create an elected monarch with the impossible task of unifying the country marliere said theres a contradiction in wanting a unifying figure but with a president that has enormous everyday political powers who is a daily actor in frenchs peoples lives he said french presidents become very quickly unpopular and their only chance to regain popularity is in exceptional circumstances when the country goes to war for example he added jean des cars one of frances bestknown royal journalists and authors agreed that there was a fascination for the queen among french people some of whom are nostalgic for the monarchy without admitting it the queen was very close to france she spoke marvellous french and she had stables in france near paris he told afp she had endeared herself to the country over her six state visits