Eyes on the Crown
Leigh Baxter set her alarm for a few minutes before 5 a.m. Saturday. Sleeping in simply was not an option.
The Cabot resident turned the television on long before sunrise to watch the coronation of King Charles III. Millions of people across the United States did the same, but Baxter was part of a small percentage of them that felt a special connection to the ceremony.
She was born and raised in England before moving to the U.S. 35 years ago. The coronation was a way for Baxter to go home, albeit only in her mind while sitting in her living room here in Western Pennsylvania.
“I have dual citizenship and look at this as my country now, too,” she said. “But I do miss England, my entire family is there. It’s so rich with history and traditions, and I miss the culture.
“I started watching about a half-hour before the ceremony began until King Charles gave the traditional wave from the balcony.”
The last coronation within the royal family occurred in 1953, when King Charles’ mother, Elizabeth II, was crowned queen of the United Kingdom. In that respect, Saturday’s event was 70 years in the making, with no shortage of pomp and circumstance.
“English people are very proud of the monarchy and our heritage,” Baxter said. “We are a very meticulous people and in traditional events, everything has a purpose. The coronation was the British monarchy at its best ... a class act.”
Baxter grew up 100 miles northeast of London in Suffolk County. She still was living in England when Charles, then Prince of Wales, married Diana Spencer in 1981.
“The whole country was in celebration for that,” Baxter said. “I don’t know if the coronation was as big of a deal as that wedding, but my family was getting together with neighbors this weekend to celebrate.”
Baxter, 55, said her opinion of King Charles has changed over the years.
“When Charles and Diana were having their challenges (they divorced in 1996), he was not popular at all,” she said. “There was a black mark against him.
“Diana was the one chosen for him to marry and as prince, he was following his duties to the monarchy. But even then, he loved Camilla (now queen). They’re now in their 70s, together and still happy. As they say, the heart wants what the heart wants.”
Pamela Howryla also grew up in England and moved to this country 30 years ago. She lives in Ford City with her husband, John, a native of Butler.
“Diana was young and was going to be able to provide Charles with children ... he needed an heir and a spare, as they say. Plus, Camilla had already been married with children. That was not going to work with the royal family.”
Baxter now focuses on the positives surrounding Charles.
“A lot of people don’t realize all the good he has done,” she said. “He created the Prince’s Trust (in 1976) to help troubled young people in England improve their lives. He had a recycling bin at the palace 30 years ago before many people thought of that. He cares about the citizens of England.”
While Baxter respects and admires the royal family, she does not envy them.
“None of us realize the pressures placed on them every day,” she said. “If they blink the wrong way, they’re ridiculed for it. They are under watch, night and day. I would not like that lifestyle.”
Many people in this country take a heavy interest in any news coming out of Buckingham Palace, even if they have no direct connection to England or the United Kingdom.
Howryla gave her opinion on this attention from afar.
“Comparatively speaking, the United States is a young country,” she said. “People here are interested in something that is steeped in years of history.
“And nobody can put on a parade like British people.”
