A GRANDMOTHER from Cirencester has shared her personal experience of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation.
Margaret Meatheringham, aged 88, was in The Mall in London with her parents and one of her brothers the day Elizabeth was crowned in 1953.
She was only 19 at the time but remembers the day vividly.
Her family lived in Kent so they travelled up to London for the day on the bus in the early hours of the morning.
Margaret revealed the weather was similar to this year's coronation, drizzly and cold, however it did not damper the excitement of the day.
She described the buzzing atmosphere of this historic occasion and said everyone pushed each other, desperate to get a glimpse of the royal family.
Margaret said: "It was very exciting to be in the hustle and bustle of everything.
"We got there in the early hours of the morning and the birds were singing.
"It was an experience I will never forget.
"The Queen looked so happy inside the gold carriage."
This year she watched the coronation on TV surrounded by her grandchildren in the comfort of her own home in Cirencester.
To mark the occasion she decorated her table with a red table cloth, union flags and pictures of the royal family.
One big difference between the coronations that she noticed was that in 1953 all the guests arrived in grand carriages and waved to the crowds.
However, this year because of tighter security measures all the celebrities were whisked away in blacked out cars.
She also reflected on the fact that the royal balcony seemed much emptier this year, and distinctively remembers it being filled with grandchildren and the extended family in 1953.
Margaret said: "I didn't dare move once the coronation started, I didn't want to miss anything.
"The coronation brings people together all over the world.
"The royal family holds us together.
"It was amazing to share this experience with my family as I don't get to see them very often.
"I didn't want the day to end, it was sad to say goodbye to everyone.
"It's great that we now have cameras to capture these moments, when I went the Queen's coronation in 1953 we didn't have a camera so I have no photographs of the event."
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