From a wave from Princess Charlotte and co, to a front row view of the royal balcony, there’s not many that got a better view on coronation day than health and social care student, Jessica.
Among the army cadets recently selected to represent the military on the big day, she said: “I enjoyed it so much, and it all happened so quickly, it almost feels surreal looking back now.”
We caught up with the 17-year-old from Yarm to hear about her reflections on being part of the historic occasion.
Her only grumble about a day filled with what felt like once in a lifetime-moments, was the fact that her phone ran out of charge, meaning she missed out on the chance to take some epic pictures!
One of 10 Cleveland Army Cadets invited to line the Mall on coronation day, Jessica said: “From where we were positioned, we got to see the entire parade.”
With television crews opposite, she explained: “As it went by, we had to constantly stand to attention. We saw King Charles and Queen Camilla go by in the royal carriage.”
And then, as the parade made its return journey from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace, she saw more members of the royal family, and the cadets even got a wave from Princess Kate, Charlotte, George, and Louis.
“I wanted to wave back so much, but we weren’t allowed,” she said. “You could see Princess Kate pointing over and explaining who we were, and they were all looking at us.”
With plans to join the military herself as a physiotherapist, just as exciting for Jessica was seeing the role the services played in the pomp and ceremony of the day, including the spectacular uniforms.
She said: “There were lots of parades happening all the time and some of the uniforms were so creative. The Corporal of Horse came over and was explaining everything to us and telling us the background history.
“We got to see the royal guards and at one point the Corporal of Horse got two of the royal guards to come and talk to us.”
Escorted by the police to the gates of Buckingham Palace, the cadets were again given a front row view of the balcony where they could see almost the entire royal family.
Jessica has been an army cadet for five years and this year has been selected to be one of the Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire’s cadets, which means she will be required to assist with a variety of royal visits and official duties.
Getting off to a flying start, she said: “This was one of the best ever experiences and something that I will never forget.”
The weekend was topped off with a ticket to attend the coronation concert, with performances from the likes of Take That, Katy Perry and Olly Murs.
Jessica said: “To have been able to have those experiences is incredible. It is all once in a lifetime experience stuff, and I am very grateful for that.”
