As many watched the Coronation day proceedings at home on television, a few people decided to travel over from Fermanagh to London to see the celebrations in person.

Dawn McVitty, Sarah Auterson, Lyndsey Armstrong and Heather Squire were one such group who made the journey to the city to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla – a once in a lifetime experience.

Speaking to The Impartial Reporter, Dawn explained that the group flew to London last Friday, May 5 in preparation for an early start on the Saturday morning, hoping to secure a prime viewing position on The Mall.

“We were on The Mall at 2.15am on Saturday morning! When we got there, it was already really packed with people, so it was lucky that we were there really early to get our pitch,” she said, explaining that there were only two rows of people in front of her: “We were right at the front. We got a really good standing position.”

However, it was a long wait for the parade to begin, with the women standing for around eight hours along The Mall in the rain.

Still, despite the weather, Dawn commented that it was “worth it” for the brilliant atmosphere.

“My niece Lyndsey and I, we went to The Queen’s funeral last year and you’re standing there for hours and hours, so you do end up chatting to the people around you.

“It’s just always a really nice atmosphere,” she said, adding of such a unique experience: “There’s people from all over the UK, all over the world, so it’s a really nice part of it.”

Following the Coronation parade, the group managed to make their way to Buckingham Palace where they were able to see The Royal Family on the balcony.

“One of the girls with us, her friend gave us a hint of where to stand so that when the parade was over, they let you out on to The Mall first,” said Dawn, adding: “So we watched everything and then got on to The Mall and got right up to Buckingham Palace for the balcony part, which was fantastic.”

Talking about her highlight of the Coronation day in London, Dawn said: “I would have to say, the Red Arrows’ flypast were phenomenal, but it was just getting so close to the balcony [that was the highlight]. You could see them [The Royals] clearly and the atmosphere there was just amazing!

“I’ve never really seen anything like that before, so that was a real highlight,” she added, going on to note that the military parade was also fabulous: “It was really impressive.”

“[The whole day] was just fabulous, it was a great experience.”