Kieran and Miranda Corless say they haven’t been back to England since 2019, when they were married.
Saturday was a bit of a reminder of that time for the Sarnia couple, as they and their nine-month-old Caleb joined about 200 people for a garden party in Germain Park, celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
“It was special to have something to be able to celebrate and feel that connection,” said Miranda Corless, wearing the same fascinator she had on for the couple’s wedding party in Yorkshire, England three years ago.
“This is kind of cool for us,” she said.
She’s originally from Sarnia and met Kieran Corless, who’s from Yorkshire, working on cruise ships, she said.
“Then I imported him,” she said with a laugh.
They and others, dressed up for the two-hour party, ate sandwiches and cupcakes, and drank tea amid white tents.
A color party and the Sarnia Legion Pipe Band helped begin the festivities, and Theater Sarnia players, dressed to represent different eras of Elizabeth II’s reign, narrated moments from the 96-year-old monarch’s 70 years as head of state for Canada, the United Kingdom and several other countries.
It took fewer than 24 hours after registration opened for the event, planned since December, to book up, said the City of Sarnia’s Rachel Veilleux.
“To see so many people excited and coming together and just really celebrating in something that’s really, truly monumental – and something that we likely will never get to do again in our lifetime – it’s been a wonderful thing,” she said.
A table with memorabilia featured the guest book and pen the Queen signed with when she and her late husband Prince Philip visited Sarnia in 1959, Veilleux said.
Madeline Mahon said she’s been following the Queen’s life since she was a little girl.
“I absolutely love the woman,” she said. “She’s so wonderful. She’s so graceful.”
The self-described “devoted fan” noted her grandmother was English, and recalled a scrapbook she had of the Queen and Princess Margaret when they were children.
“I’ve followed them all my live,” said the recipient of a Golden Jubilee Medal 20 years ago for her volunteer work.
“It’s been almost like a hobby,” she said. “We’ve all kind of royal books in our family. We’ve read everything we could read and had everything we could have.”