Alongside our latest sovereign range, we will be sending our clients a copy of the Evening Standard Newspaper, dated the 2nd June 1953; the day of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation.
Here, we will be dissecting the main content from that very newspaper…
Front Page
‘The Crowned Queen’ is the title of this coronation special of the Evening Standard. An image of Queen Elizabeth II sitting in King Edward’s Chair in Westminster Abbey fills the majority of the page. She is pictured wearing the Imperial State Crown, with the Archbishop of Canterbury facing her, the Bishop of Durham on her right side, and the Bishop of Bath and Wells to her left. This image captures the supreme moment of the ceremony.
Page 2
‘No wonder Malik was puzzled’ is the main header on the second page, detailing the events of the coronation. There are also two smaller sections within the page. The first section explains that there were more than one million people who travelled in a four-hour rush before 7am to join the hundreds of thousands of people who waited all night to watch the Queen drive through the Royal route. The second section features the rest of the news, in particular reports that the Duke and Duchess of Sutherland had £30,000 worth of jewellery stolen from their home in Knightsbridge during the night.
Page 3
‘The Queen rides in her golden coach’ features a large image of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip sat in the Gold State Coach on her journey from Buckingham Palace to her coronation in Westminster Abbey. Also on this page is an image of the Royal Box at the Abbey during the ceremony with the following present; the Duchess of Kent, the Princess Royal, the Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, Prince William, the Duchess of Gloucester, Prince Richard, Princess Alice, the Earl of Athlone, Princess Alice of Greece; Prince Philip’s mother, the Countess of Harewood and the Earl of Harewood.
Page 5
This page features an image of Prince Charles watching the crowning in the Abbey from the Royal Box. It shows him standing between the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret, having been brought into the Abbey through a side-door. There is also an image of Princess Margaret entering the Abbey wearing a white gown of broderie anglaise in pearl and silver, with the Soviet Ambassador Mr Jacob Malik watching.
Page 6
This page shows public figures arriving at the Abbey, including images of Sir Winston and Lady Churchill, and Queen Salote of Tonga. There is also a section titled ‘Three ways of keeping out the rain’ with images of people waiting on the Royal route using umbrellas, collapsible hats, and oilskin coats. Finally, there is a ‘loyal greetings’ section to the Queen from George Cohen Sons & Company Limited.
Page 8 and 9
The middle of the newspaper is taken up by a large image of Queen Elizabeth just after being crowned with the St Edward’s crown. In her right hand is the sceptre with the Cross, and in her left hand is the Rod with the Dove. It also shows Prince Philip kneeling before the Queen after the crowning, kissing her on the cheek and putting his hand in hers to vow allegiance.
Page 10
This page shows a large image of the Queen’s coach passing under the ornament arches in The Mall during the journey from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey. It also shows another image of four men and a girl clinging to their vantage point; a lamp standard in Trafalgar Square. A group of policemen are also shown linking arms to keep the crowd under control. At the bottom of the page there are multiple mini-sections discussing topics such as ‘Hundreds faint on the route’, ‘Coronation-film plane turns black’ and ‘Salute switch at Windsor ceremony’.
Page 13
This page is taken up with a full image of the Queen, wearing the Imperial Crown, walking from the Abbey. It shows her carrying the Sceptre and the Orb, with the Bishop of Durham on her right hand side, and the Bishop of Bath and Wells to her left.
Page 14
On this page is an image of the Queen arriving in the Abbey. Again, with the Bishop of Durham on her right hand side, and the Bishop of Bath and Wells to her left. There are also six maids of honour supporting the Queen’s train, and following them are the Mistress of the Robes, the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire and the Marquess of Hartington. There is also an advertisement for a world premiere of ‘Single-Handed’ in which Princess Margaret will be attending.
Page 16
The back page, titled ‘March back through rain and hail’ shows the crowded scene in Trafalgar Square as Commonwealth troops march from Whitehall into Cockspur Street on their way back from Westminster Abbey. There is a section that talks about the Queen’s journey back to Buckingham Palace after the service and discusses how her great procession set off in heavy rain before encountering a hail storm as the Queen passed Hyde Park Corner.
You can own a copy of this newspaper, alongside an incredible sovereign which has been released as a special tribute to the life of service and devotion of Queen Elizabeth II, HERE.