When the whole world is watching, the
pressure to pull off an event perfectly like a coronation is
immense. It’s been 70 years since the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth
II and during the three-hour service, it’s reported the then
25-year-old made only one mistake. It was a first-of-its-kind event
as modern technology meant that this was the first British
coronation to be televised…
A Guide to Coronation Service: The entry of the Monarch into Westminster Abbey
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…
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…
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 from 1003 to 1066, it became a holy
relic when Edward was canonized by Pope Alexander III. The original
crown was used in…
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…
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…
BBC ditches licence fee for the Coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla
1st March 2023
The BBC has announced a one-time
exemption of its licence fee during the Coronation weekend of King
Charles and Queen Camilla. The publicly-funded broadcaster will
temporarily suspend its licence fee for Coronation weekend from May
6 to May 8. The dispensation will make it possible for venues like
town halls, cinemas, and churches to stream the Coronation ceremony
and the Coronation concert…
Crowds applaud and throw flowers as they accompany Queen Elizabeth II all along her last journey
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…
Royal funerals in Westminster Abbey: history with a big hiatus
17th September 2022
Queen Elizabeth II will be the first
monarch to have her funeral held at Westminster Abbey since
1760. All sovereigns after that date have received their last
salute at St George’s Chapel, in Windsor, due to logistic
challenges: the Royal Vaults in the Abbey are…
The last monarch to have a funeral at Westminster Abbey: King George II
15th September 2022
In just days, the funeral of Queen
Elizabeth II will take place at Westminster Abbey in London. It’s
been centuries since a monarch had a funeral at the Abbey. The last
one was King George II in 1760. The funeral of King George II took
place on 13 November 1760. Horace Walpole, the son of Sir Robert
Walpole, England’s first and longest-serving prime minister wrote
an account of the…
