British RoyalsHistory

A Guide to Coronation Service: The entry of the Monarch into Westminster Abbey

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20th March 2023
On 6 May, King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla will be crowned at Westminster Abbey. For many, this will be the first coronation they have ever seen. The ceremony will follow a pattern laid out in the Liber Regalis, kept at Westminster Abbey and which has informed the pattern of coronations since the 14th century. The service which will see the Coronation of King Charles and Queen…
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The history of the Coronation Chair

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17th March 2023
It is a chair with understated elegance and steeped in history. The Coronation Chair, also known as King Edward’s Chair or Saint Edward’s Chair, was commissioned by King Edward I in 1296. Originally, it was meant to hold the Stone of Scone, taken from Scotland by King…
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The only consort to wear the Monarch’s crown

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17th March 2023
It is a considered a gem meant for monarchs, but there is one notable exception to the rules around St. Edward’s Crown: Anne Boleyn. St. Edward’s Crown is the oldest and heaviest crown in use in the British collection. Worn by Edward the Confessor during his reign…
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How TV brought the Coronation of Elizabeth II to the world

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16th March 2023
Televising the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was a crowning achievement! On June 2, 1953 over eight million people watched on their own televisions, 10 million people watched in the homes of friends and family who owned TVs and 1.5 million went to cinemas, pubs and halls to view this live event. Before this coronations were limited to those invited inside Westminster Abbey although…
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The history of the Stone of Scone

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13th March 2023
You could not be faulted if you walked by the Stone of Scone and not even realized you were in the presence of a legendary and mysterious rock. Pronounced ‘Scoon,’ the ancient symbol of Scottish sovereignty is an unassuming rectangular stone, made of sandstone…
British Royals

Crowds applaud and throw flowers as they accompany Queen Elizabeth II all along her last journey

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19th September 2022
The procession that brought Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin from London to Windsor was flanked at all times by huge crowds of people. Far from being a sad occasion, some sections applauded, others cheered, and some even threw flowers in front of the State Hearse – all homage to their Monarch in her final journey. The Palace was not sure what to expect in terms of crowd sizes…
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British Royals

How Princess Margaret's marriage reinvented royal weddings

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6th May 2022
On 6 May 1960, Princess Margaret became the first royal to marry in a televised ceremony when she married photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones in a glittering service at Westminster Abbey. Princess Margaret had been linked to several beaus, most notably her father’s and sister’s former equerry, Peter Townsend. After a tumultuous period of will-they-won’t-they, their relationship ended on…
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