Ceremony for Queen Elizabeth II to be held at Westminster College

FULTON, Mo. (KMIZ)

In Mid-Missouri, Fulton and Westminster College have a deep connection to not only London but the royal family as well. 

America's national Churchill museum on the campus of Westminster College has long been a destination for many to connect with England.  

Winston Churchill, the namesake and reason for the museum, gave his famous Iron Curtain speech due to a letter that included a personal note from President Harry S Truman. Timothy Riley with the Churchill Museum said Truman may have closed the deal on the Churchill visit.

 "In 1945 the college President, Frank McClure invited Winston Churchill to come to Fulton," Riley said. "There is a wonderful postscript on the bottom of the page that reads, 'This is a wonderful school in my home state, if you come, I will introduce you, hope you can do it. Best Regards, Harry Truman.'"

Now with a museum and a church dedicated to the connection that Missouri and Fulton have with Great Britain, America's National Churchill Museum is displaying a collection honoring the longest-serving monarch in England's history. 

"We have drawn from our permanent collection several artifacts, related to both the queen and the royal family," Riley said. "Here is a picture of then Princess Elizabeth on the balcony with Winston Churchill."

Artifacts include a photo of Princess Elizabeth and others that features something not many have seen. 

"She didn't sign autographs, but here in the lower right her Elizabeth R, which stands for Elizabeth Regina," Riley said.  

Now as the royal family and the rest of the world prepare for the queen to lay in rest in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, a ceremony of remembrance to Queen Elizabeth II will be held on the Westminster College at St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury Church on the campus in Fulton.  

The church was saved years after the war and rebuilt on the campus in Fulton. It will host the ceremony on Monday at 11:00 a.m.