Local Man Was Witness to Last British Coronation 70 Years Ago

Richard Dixon of La Grange rose early Saturday morning to watch the coronation of King Charles III live on television.

It wasn’t the first time he experienced a royal coronation, though. The 91-year-old British Texan was living in London during the coronation of King Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1953.

“It was fantastic – tremendous crowds milling the streets for days on end and watching the excitement,” Dixon recalled.

Dixon, a retired British merchant marine, attended college in London at the time.

“I was working up for an exam, and it just so happened that it was the coronation,” he said. “It was an exciting time. I was in the center of London. The crowds, they were from all nations, and there were a phenomenal number of Americans. There were street parties all around London. They set up trestles and tables and all of that, food and drink. It was a tremendously exciting time.”

The British Empire had begun to decline by 1952, but the monarch still reigned in territories around the world from the Americas, Africa, Asia and across the Pacific Ocean.

“In the procession of coaches that followed the Queen, there were representatives from all over the Empire,” Dixon said. “They were very distinctive, too. I am a pro-Empire person, and I recognize things change. People are entitled to independence. But it was a great credit to the world-reach of the British Empire.

“I saw them go by and waved with the crowd and cheered,” he added. “It was so good to be part of it. I was happy to be in London, because the rest of my life, I was away at sea. It’s part of my heritage. I grew up with the Royal Family and was happy to follow them throughout my life. I’m a Royalist at heart, even as happy as I am to be a good Texan.”

Dixon’s travels as a merchant marine brought him to Texas more than 50 years ago.

He settled and raised his family here. Dixon considers himself an American and a Texan, but he maintains a deep respect for his homeland and the British monarch.

“You can’t do away with it,” he said. “Once you do away with (the monarchy), it’ll be lost forever. It’s a wonderful thing as far as I’m concerned. It’s so full of heritage and tradition.”

Dixon’s late wife collected souvenir tea cups commemorating various members of the British royal family. The oldest piece in the collection came from Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897.

“The one from Queen Victoria looks a bit scruffy, and I happen to think she didn’t have a dishwasher,” he joked.

Dixon said he nearly got rid of them a few years ago. But one of his fellow parishioners at St. James Episcopal Church in La Grange learned about the collection and asked him to show it off at the church. The collection now resides at St. James, and the church proudly displays them during royal occasions. Dixon recently added one more piece to the collection – a coffee mug commemorating Charles III’s coronation. Fr. Chris Heying, the Rector at St. James, set up the display in the chapel for services this past Sunday.

“You mustn’t misunderstand me, I am as pro-American as I can ever get,” Dixon said. “But one’s heritage is something to be remembered.”

Dixon said he believes the majority of British support the Royal Family.

“There’s always a small portion of people who are against the Royal Family, and I think it’s overemphasized by the press,” Dixon said. “You hear people say, ‘How much is it costing the taxpayer?’ But things like the coronation are financially supported by tourism. I’d like to know how many Americans are in Britain right now just for the occasion. The vast amalgam of people are very pro-Royal Family.”

When the Record spoke to him last Friday, Dixon said he was excited to watch the following day’s festivities. Live television coverage of the coronation started at 4 a.m. on Saturday.

“I’ll be up at the crack of dawn,” Dixon said. “I’m sure I’ll watch it on repeat again and again.”