LONDON — The coronation of a British monarch is a once in a lifetime event for most — but not for one American woman who travelled to London early Saturday to attend her second.
Graham Burns, 83, from the small town of Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, told NBC News Saturday that she was 13 when she came to London with her sister for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation.
Now she’s back with her family to see the rare spectacle of a monarch’s coronation procession all over again.
“It was the biggest thrill to see her in the golden coach,” she said, referring to the same Golden State Coach in which King Charles III and Queen Camilla will slowly make their way to Westminster Abbey on Saturday.
“Winston Churchill went by, we saw the queen — she was such a popular person,” she added.
She said till has a program from the day, in pristine condition.
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Accompanied by her sons Jim, Lee and his wife Andrea, Burns’ day began at 3 a.m. (10 p.m. ET) on Thursday. All four were patiently waiting for the procession on The Mall, a grand processional route running from Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square in central London.
Tiredness did not seem to be a problem.
“I’ve had a grin on my face since we got here,” Burns said.
The family had to overcome some officious security staff, who had warned them they wouldn’t get to the front of the barrier on The Mall, or may have to wait in line to even access the packed viewing area.
But just like in 1953, when Burns and her sister managed to get a spot on bleachers that had been built for the occasion, she had a front row seat.
“I kept saying, ‘We’re going to see that golden coach,” she said.
