Queen Elizabeth II’s death reverberates across Baltimore, a city that played a role in her ascension to the throne

When Queen Elizabeth II visited Baltimore in 1991 to see an Orioles game, then-Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke escorted her to a reception at Memorial Stadium. As the queen entered the room, the guests — team owners, local business leaders, coach Cal Ripken Sr. and his player-sons, Cal Ripken Jr. and Billy Ripken — grew silent, intimidated by the presence of a monarch. The queen then turned to Schmoke and asked in a stage whisper, “Must one be named Ripken to be on this team?” “That broke the ice,” said Schmoke. “She had a certain lightness of spirit the public didn’t always see. She gave you the sense that you were important to her at that moment, and that’s a real gift as a leader.”