Ann Warren of Lima sits with a life-sized cutout of King Charles III as she prepared to host a party Saturday in honor of the king’s coronation. Born in England, Warren remembers when the late Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in 1953.
Craig Kelly | The Lima News
LIMA — It is an event Great Britain had not shown the world for nearly 70 years, when the late Queen Elizabeth II was coronated on June 2, 1953 at London’s Westminster Abbey. Saturday’s official coronation of King Charles III was a new experience for so many, as spectators and viewers around the world witnessed the pomp and ceremony of the official crowning of the British monarch, filled with traditions that go back centuries.
One Lima woman, however, can say she has seen two coronations, and both have meant a great deal to her.
Ann Warren was born in England, growing up less than 20 miles from London in the county of Essex. Warren was a teenager when Elizabeth was crowned in 1953 and still recalls the feelings of love and admiration the British people had for their young queen.
“You have to remember, there was World War II,” she said. “The king and her mother, the queen mum, were very active in terms of when [the German military] was bombing London. They were out and about, and we saw that frequently. So we had a love and a care for them, and so when Elizabeth became queen, I think that love continued on.”
Warren kept that love of the monarchy and the Royal Family even after moving to the United States in 1960. The wife of Judge Richard Warren, she has shared that love with her family and friends that have joined her at parties to mark such occasions as Charles’ coronation as well as the marriages of Prince William and his wife Catherine as well as of Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle. Seeing Charles now officially crowned king of England after witnessing him grow up in the public eye is a little different experience now for Warren.
“It’s different because I’m older now,” she said. “As you become older in life, you see things a lot differently. I’m hoping — really hoping — he does well.”
Judge Warren has enjoyed sharing this love of British history and the monarchy with his wife, especially given his own love of history, which is plentiful in England.
“I’m sort of a Johnny-come-lately in having married into the British family,” he said. “Her traditions and everything have become very interesting and have become part of my life, as well. We go back to London probably every couple of years so she can renew her friendships.”
Their latest trip proved to be one of the most memorable for the Warrens, as they happened to arrive the day that Queen Elizabeth died last September at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
“We left for Scotland, not knowing she was at Balmoral when she died,” Mrs. Warren said. “So we got to see all the pageantry in Scotland, and we came back to London, because I have family there, and got to see all the pageantry there, too. It was a remarkable time and I’ve always said that I was meant to be there.”
After experiencing the national mourning over Elizabeth’s passing, the Warrens were excited to have their Saturday party share in the celebration of the new king’s coronation.
“It’s a taste of home,” Mrs. Warren said, “and my friends are very kind and accept me for that. I’m blessed in that respect.”
