Winston Churchill museum director shares how Queen Elizabeth II made an impact locally

FULTON, Mo. (KMIZ.)

Following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, ABC 17 News crews spoke with people at  about the connection the queen made locally.

Timothy Riley the director at America's National Churchill Museum said the connection all started back in 1946 when the queen's first prime minister visited Westminster College. From there, Riley said the royal family had been in correspondence with the museum for decades.

According to Riley, the royal family also gave several artifacts to the museum that are currently on display.

Some of those items include a chair used at the queen's coronation in 1953, and a photo of the queen on her coronation day is also on display, which is signed by Elizabeth herself.

According to Riley, when Churchill passed, the queen sent a letter to the museum with her condolences to the British ambassador. The new king, Charles, also sent a letter to the Churchill museum encouraging them to keep up the good work.

Riley tells ABC 17 that the impact Queen Elizabeth made wasn't just locally, but she also made a huge connection with the U.S.

"I think the queen loved the United States and America for what it stood for and what we stand for today," Riley said. "Democracy, liberty, freedom...we share this as a common heritage, with our friends and Great Britain. The queen was friendly and knew every president since 1951, it was an extraordinary time."

There's no doubt Thursday was a sad day for many people nationwide, as they said farewell to Queen Elizabeth, but some residents say they knew this time would come.

"I'd seen that she was in the castle in Scotland and was not in good shape. I didn't know until just a couple of minutes ago that she had passed away. It's a sad day and it seemed like she lived a fruitful life," said Columbia resident Del Cook.