COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KDVR) – A lifetime of inspiration. That’s what Monica Agnew-Kinnaman, 104, of Colorado Springs, has drawn from Queen Elizabeth II.
Angew-Kinnaman was born and raised in England and moved to the United States decades ago, after serving as an officer in the British Territorial Army in World War II.
“Well I admire her so much. She dedicated her life to service,” Agnew-Kinnaman told FOX31.
There are similarities between the two. Both were young women in their native England when they were called to serve their country at a young age — Elizabeth as queen, Agnew-Kinnaman as an army volunteer as the Germans bore down on London during the war.
“We take an oath of service and obedience to the reigning monarch. So you kind of belong to the royal family,” Agnew-Kinnaman said.
Watching a young Elizabeth ascend to the throne
Similar in age, Agnew-Kinnaman remembers well the queen’s coronation in 1953 at just 25 years old, and she remembers being transfixed by a new female leader in her home country, thrust onto the world stage when her father, King George VI, died.
“You know we follow everything she did and know what her relatives did,” Agnew-Kinnaman said.
Kinnaman has lived in Colorado for decades, but her affection for the monarchy and her homeland never waned.
“I love England, I love England. But I love America too. I love Colorado,” she said.
She met a member of the royal family a few years ago in Colorado Springs. The queen’s grandson, Prince Harry, was in town for the Warrior Games, an Olympic-style sporting event for wounded veterans.
“He was very humble, he was very nice,” she said.
The two had a conversation about their service to the United Kingdom.
“And he knelt down on the floor beside me. Ordinary. You’d never think he was royalty,” Agnew-Kinnaman said.