This Columbia resident attended Queen Elizabeth II's 1953 coronation: 'Something you'll never forget'

FULTON — A ceremony Monday at Westminster College honoring Queen Elizabeth II ended with "God Save the King," with several attendees who knew the words singing along.

Among those singing was Nancy Tucker Cleaveland, 84, of Columbia. As a 14-year-old girl, she traveled with her grandmother to see the queen's coronation in 1953.

Cleaveland spoke during Monday's ceremony inside the 17th-century Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury, which was relocated and rebuilt in Fulton in 1969 after being destroyed during World War II in London. Earl Mountbatten, uncle of Prince Phillip, attended the church's Fulton dedication.

The queen's state funeral was Monday.

Cleaveland's grandfather told her he had arranged for her and her grandmother to attend Elizabeth II's coronation, Cleaveland told the crowd of 50 or so.

"It was a thrilling experience," she said.

They traveled to England aboard the Queen Mary ocean liner.

The new queen's mode of transportation at the coronation was striking, she said.

"The coronation coach was the most gorgeous thing I've ever seen," Cleaveland said. "I've never seen anything as luminous as the coronation coach."

More: Poignant moments at Queen Elizabeth II's funeral, from emotional royals to funeral wreath

She had a good view of the coronation and the queen, she said.

"You really could see the queen," Cleaveland said.

Elizabeth II will always be remembered as the queen, she said.

Cleaveland has had a very full life since then, but the coronation will always be a highlight of it, she said after the ceremony.

"That was just something you'll never forget," Cleaveland said.

The English were very happy that she and her grandmother had traveled from the U.S. to view the coronation, she said.

The coronation took place 14 months after the king's death, she said.

More: Queen Elizabeth II funeral live updates: Emotional King Charles III bids farewell to queen at burial

Reflecting on the queen's death, Cleaveland said it's fortunate that Elizabeth II lived long enough to have her platinum jubilee, marking 70 years.

"Probably there won't be another monarch that will reign that long," Cleaveland said.

It also was fortunate the queen didn't have a long-term illness, she said.

"She was in the place she loved," Cleaveland said of the queen's death in Scotland.

The funeral and all the events leading up to it were "done to perfection," she said.

Others attending Monday's ceremony at Westminster included a class of gifted students from Fulton Middle School.

"Historically, it's a monumental moment, and I wanted them to experience it as authentically as possible," said their teacher, Camille Webb.

More: Royal bling to handmade: 70 years of iconic gifts US presidents exchanged with the queen

The connections among Westminster College, Great Britain and America's National Churchill Museum on campus are numerous, said Tim Riley, director and curator of the museum, during the ceremony.

Prime Minister Winston Churchill famously delivered what became known as the "Iron Curtain" speech on campus in 1946, warning of the threat from the former Soviet Union. Cleaveland's father was at the speech, she said.

In 2019, then-Prince Charles wrote a letter to the college on the 50th anniversary of the church's dedication. The church, he wrote, had "the essence of the human spirit" in its ability to overcome tragedy.

"We are fortunate to have these connections," Riley said.

More: Prince George, Princess Charlotte to attend Queen Elizabeth's state funeral

He dedicated his final remarks to the late queen.

"Queen Elizabeth II was the personification of resilience and hope," Riley said. "For that, we are all thankful."

A collection honoring Queen Elizabeth II is on display in the museum, where a tea service followed the ceremony.

Roger McKinney is the education reporter for the Tribune. You can reach him at rmckinney@columbiatribune.com or 573-815-1719.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Queen Elizabeth II's coronation unforgettable for Columbia resident