Queen, Commoners Mark Battle of Trafalgar
Queen Elizabeth II lighted a beacon in the city of Portsmouth to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, in which Britain’s Royal Navy defeated the French and Spanish fleets and cemented its supremacy on the seas for the next century.
Bells tolled aboard British vessels around the world, and wreaths were laid at the site of the battle off Cape Trafalgar in southwestern Spain. In the nearby port of Cadiz, descendants of sailors who fought in the battle paid homage to the 7,000 who died in the clash.
“Trafalgar was vitally important for this country. Otherwise we would all be speaking French now,” said Christina O’Farrell, 61, a Portsmouth retiree.
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