King Charles Coronation: Woman recalls attending Queen Elizabeth's Coronation in 1953

A woman from North Yorkshire recently recounted the memories of attending the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth on June 2, 1953. Maureen Lowe spoke with The Northern Echo and opened up about what she felt about during the previous coronation. She recalled the thousands of people enjoying street parties, people waving flags around The Mall, and the buzz around the market squares of several towns and cities. 

The 85-year-old woman, originally from Ripon, revealed that she was with her parents and neighbours in their house's front room as they watched the Queen's Coronation. On the occasion of King Charles III Coronation, she told the outlet, "It was a real sense of community. You felt like you were a part of something." When she was asked about the difference between the two Coronation ceremonies she had witnessed, she said that the two were "incomparable due to so many changes". Maureen also served as the secretary of Ripon Bellringers and was partially responsible for ensuring the seamlessness of everything, as well as the chiming of bells at the Ripon Cathedral. 

Celebrities and guests at King Charles' Coronation

Along with the UK Royals, several celebrities were in attendance at King Charles' coronation. Singer Katy Perry, Mr Bean actor Rowan Atkinson, Man Vs. Wild host Bear Grylls, iconic British TV presenter duo Ant and Dec, singer-songwriter Nick Cave, actor-writer-comedian Stephen Fry, magician Dynamo, singer-songwriter Lionel Ritchie, British personality Emma Thompson and more arrived at the event. Moreover, several political leaders and representatives throughout the world also attended the coronation. 

The UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was at the event and read from the New Testament. He spoke about the coronation, and described it as a "proud expression of our history, culture and traditions". Meanwhile, the former UK PM David Cameron, French president Emmanuel Macron with the First Lady Brigette Macron, Prince Albert of Monaco, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, Crown Prince Frederik and Princess Mary of Denmark, Crown Princess Kiko of Japan, and U.S. first lady Jill Biden were also present during the coronation.