This year marks the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, which took place at Westminster Abbey on the 2nd June 1953. When the young queen solemnly received the orb and sceptre and was crowned in Westminster Abbey seventy years ago, no one could have known she would go on to become Britain’s best loved and longest reigning monarch.
In this blog, we identify seven key facts of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II…
Queen Elizabeth II followed in the footsteps of many monarchs before her.
Her Late Majesty became the thirty-ninth Sovereign to be crowned at the Abbey. In her own right, Queen Elizabeth II was the sixth Queen to be crowned at Westminster Abbey, the first being Queen Mary I who was crowned in 1553.
Her Late Majesty was escorted through the procession route by eight horses.
Traditionally, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, made their way to the ceremony in the Gold State Coach. The coach was pulled by eight grey gelding horses; Cunningham, Eisenhower, McCreery, Noah, Snow White, Tedder, Tipperary and Tovey.
The coronation was watched by millions through the new medium of television.
Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation was the first one to be televised, and for a lot of people this was the first event they had ever watched on television. In total, 27 million people in the UK (out of 36 million population) tuned in to watch the coronation, and 11 million people listened on the radio.
The coronation had a wide variety of guests in attendance.
The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was attended by a total of 8,251 guests representing 129 nations. Prince Charles was also in attendance of the ceremony, making him the first child to witness his mother’s coronation as Sovereign.
The Queen wasn’t the only one who sat in the Coronation Chair.
On 2nd June 1953, Queen Elizabeth II wasn’t the only one who sat in the Coronation Chair. In the morning of the coronation, a black cat called ‘Matins’ was found sleeping on the chair in Westminster Abbey.
Now we know where ‘Coronation Chicken’ gets its name…
Following the ceremony, a recipe was put forward for the guests who were to be entertained by Florist Constance Spry. Now known as ‘Coronation Chicken’, the proposed recipe was cold chicken in a curry cream sauce with a well-seasoned dressed salad of rice, green peas and mixed herbs.
The ceremony wasn’t the only place where Queen Elizabeth II wore the coronation dress.
Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation dress, designed by Norman Hartnell, was white satin and embroidered with the emblems of the UK and the Commonwealth in gold and silver thread. Her Late Majesty had worn the Coronation dress a total of six times since her coronation. This included during the Opening of Parliament in New Zealand and Australia in 1954.
In tribute to an exceptional queen, and the 70th Anniversary of her Coronation in June 2023, an exceptional one-eighth commemorative gold sovereign has been announced. Secure yours HERE.