Inside the Queen’s coronation 69 years ago with the robe she still wears today as she celebrates Platinum Jubilee
IT HAS been 69 years since the Queen’s coronation – and the lavish occasion was full of pomp and grandeur. To celebrate the milestone, the royal family and millions of Brits are celebrating over a four-day bank holiday weekend. Elizabeth was just 25 years old when she became the Queen of England but she was […]
IT HAS been 69 years since the Queen’s coronation – and the lavish occasion was full of pomp and grandeur.
To celebrate the milestone, the royal family and millions of Brits are celebrating over a four-day bank holiday weekend.
Elizabeth was just 25 years old when she became the Queen of England but she was 27 by the time of the coronation.
Tomorrow, the coronation will be aired as part of the festivities celebrating Her Majesty’s 70 year long reign.
The ceremony took place more than a year after the King’s passing as it was thought to be inappropriate to host the celebration during his mourning period.
She is now 96 years old and still completing royal duties, although Prince Charles was voted in as her successor as head of the Commonwealth on April 20, 2018.
On September 9, 2015, she became the longest reigning British monarch, overtaking her great-great-grandmother Victoria.
Now the Queen is seeing in her Platinum Jubilee celebrations and the royal family celebrated Her Majesty’s reign with a step-by-step guide on the 67th anniversary of the queen’s Coronation.
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And on February 6, 2017, she became the first British monarch to celebrate a Sapphire Jubilee marking 65 years on the throne.
The Queen is also the world’s oldest currently serving state leader, and turned 96 on April 21, 2022.
The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II took place on June 2, 1953 – this year is her 69th anniversary.
Elizabeth took on the leading role after the death of her father King George VI on February 6, 1952.
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During the ceremony the Queen took an oath to serve the people of the Commonwealth according to their respective laws and customs and she was anointed with holy oil.
The Queen’s coronation was held at Westminster Abbey in Parliament Square.
It is one of the most famous churches in the world with a history stretching back over a thousand years.
The ceremony was the first ever coronation to be televised with cameras documenting the momentous occasion.
The church opened its doors to approximately 8,000 guests from across the Commonwealth.
Its normal maximum capacity is for just 2,000 people but special tiers and galleries were installed for the event allowing it to seat the huge number of invitees.
The procession hit a bump when the Lord in Waiting in charge of Her Majesty’s costume changes couldn’t work the hook and eye on her cape.
Lady Anne Glenconner, who was a maid of honour at the coronation, shared the story in her book, Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown.
She explained that the 5th Marquess of Cholmondeley, Lord Great Chamberlain was responsible for helping the monarch with her costume changes, something that proved tricky.
Lady Glenconner said: “The Marquess of Cholmondeley was the most handsome man and he seemed very proud of his looks – he always sat bolt upright with his head slightly to one side.
“The trouble was, he was simply terrible at doing up the hook and eyes, probably never having to dress himself, let alone anybody else.
“As the Duke of Norfolk repeatedly showed him what to do, the attempts only resulted in yet more fiddling, and the Duke becoming ever more exasperated.
“In the end, the Duke of Norfolk ordered the hooks and eyes to be exchanged for poppers.”
What’s more, The Queen previously admitted she “couldn’t look down” while wearing her coronation crown or her neck would “have broken”.
