Consulate General’s wife is now one of us

Victoria Short, the wife of the English Consulate General who was killed in an attack staged by Al Qaeda on the embassy in 2003, continues to reside in Istanbul. “My Turkish friends have been very supportive. Even my children tell me, ‘don’t go back.’

Victoria Short (60), whose life was most possibly saved by the offering of tea by a shopkeeper, lost her husband, English Consulate General Roger Short in the Al Qaeda attack on the embassy located in Beyoğlu, Istanbul seven years ago and never returned to England. “I love Istanbul and my Turkish friends. Upon my children’s request, and due to the support from my friends, I have not returned to England.” Short, who now resides on her own in a 120-year-old historical apartment located one kilometer’s distance from the consulate, opened her doors for SABAH. With the exception of short visits to England, Victoria Short spends most of her time in Istanbul, and is now practically one of us… First coming to Turkey when she was just 18, Victoria Short has now lived continuously in Turkey for the past seven years. Victoria shares the joy of living in Istanbul with her extensive library, computer and English friends who visit her often. A fan of Turkish cuisine, Victoria shared that amongst her favorites are iskender, baklava and sütlaç. Emphasizing that she feels like an English patriot, she couldn’t help but add, “When I attended the October 29th celebrations for the Republic held in the Dolmabahçe Palace, I felt like I was a part and felt the joy within me.” 

'I DIDN’T RETURN BECAUSE…’ 

Short talked about how much she missed her husband who was killed in the attack which took place on November 20th, 2003, yet went on to list the reasons she has decided to remain in Istanbul. “I decided to stay here, because I received so much support from my Turkish friends. There is a big difference in the way the English and Turks perceive death. In England, people do not discuss death; it is swept under, however in Turkey people are very courageous in talking about death. When I went to England people remained distanced. However, in Turkey, no one refrained from sharing my pain. Furthermore, my children told me that I should live in Turkey. In fact sometimes they even say, “you are so lucky you get to live in a city like this and do what you want.’ In England, everyone would have been there except for my husband. Roger and I have a lot of memories here. When he received his first diplomatic assignment to Ankara, I was 18 years old. Turkey has always been very special for me.”