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June 1953
- The sovereign's coronation, in effect just a formal ratification procedure, follows the accession after an interval of mourning. Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in June 1953, 16 months after George VI died.
www.reuters.com/world/uk/britains-rules-succession-new-sovereign-2022-09-08/Explainer: Britain's rules of succession for a new sovereign
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Thus since 1937, the monarch has been simultaneously crowned as sovereign of several independent nations besides the United Kingdom, known since 1953 as the Commonwealth realms. Elizabeth II was asked, for example: "Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the Peoples of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Canada ...
Unless decided otherwise, a Queen consort is crowned with the King, in a similar but simpler ceremony. If the new Sovereign is a Queen, her consort is not crowned or anointed at the coronation ceremony. After Queen Elizabeth II was crowned The Duke of Edinburgh was the first, after the archbishops and bishops, to pay homage to her.
- Overview
- The procession
- The recognition
- The oath
- The anointing
- The investiture
- The homage
- The crowning of the queen consort
- Procession from Westminster Abbey
coronation of British monarchs, ceremony whereby a British king or queen is inaugurated into office through a number of rituals that include receiving upon his or her head the crown. Elements of British coronations can be traced back to Edgar’s crowning at Bath Abbey in 973 ce. Because no right of succession existed at that time, the ceremony was c...
Prior to the ceremony is a state procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey. The route passes through such sites as the Mall, Trafalgar Square, and Parliament Square. The king or queen is usually transported via the Gold State Coach, which was commissioned by George III for his coronation in 1761. The project, however, was delayed because of its complexity, and the coach was not used until the State Opening of Parliament in 1762. It has been used for every coronation since 1831.
Historically, the state procession was held the day before the ceremony and started at the Tower of London, where the sovereign had slept the night before (a practice observed through Charles II’s coronation in 1661). The king or queen paraded through London, escorted by the knights of the Bath, a band of young squires chosen to be part of the cortege, to Westminster Palace. There he or she then slept the night before the coronation (a tradition that ended after George IV’s crowning).
The first part of the ceremony is the recognition, in which the monarch is presented to “the people.” The archbishop of Canterbury asks the congregation whether they recognize their new sovereign, to which they reply “God save the king (or queen).” As the archbishop presented Elizabeth II to each side of the abbey during her coronation, attendees exclaimed their recognition and trumpets sounded.
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The next component is the oath, which is the only part of the ceremony that is required by law. It must be administered to the monarch by the archbishop of either Canterbury or York or by another bishop appointed by the king or queen. The wording of the oath is usually altered to reflect any changes in the territorial composition of the United King...
At the heart of the coronation is the “unction,” the act of anointing the new monarch with holy oil, which symbolizes God’s blessing. Some form of the ritual can be traced to the 7th and 8th centuries. Today the sovereign is first divested of all symbols of status, leaving only the colobium sindonis (“shroud tunic”), a plain white linen gown. He or...
The anointing is followed by the investiture, during which the monarch is presented with objects and garments that symbolize the sovereign’s powers and responsibilities. The order in which the objects are offered may vary, and Elizabeth II’s coronation is one example of how the ritual can be done. She was first dressed in the Supertunica, a gold silk robe, and then received the Spurs, symbolizing chivalry, the Jewelled Sword of Offering, and the Armills, a pair of gold bracelets representing sincerity and wisdom (Elizabeth II’s Armills were a gift from the Commonwealth, replacing the pair that had been used since 1661). Upon the queen’s shoulders were placed the Stole and the Imperial Mantle (also known as the Pallium or Dalmatic Robe).
After receiving all the vestments, Elizabeth was offered the Sovereign’s Orb, representing religious and moral authority; the Sovereign’s Ring, often called the “wedding ring of England”; the Coronation Glove; the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross; and the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Dove. The investiture culminated, as with every coronation preceding Elizabeth II’s, with the archbishop placing St. Edward’s Crown on the sovereign’s head. After Elizabeth II was crowned, the princes, princesses, peers, and peeresses donned their coronets and caps of estate. Trumpets sounded, guns were fired from the Tower of London and Hyde Park, and bells rang from churches across the kingdom.
The monarch then ascends the stairs to his or her throne and receives homage. The archbishop and other Lords Spiritual, bishops with seats in the House of Lords, are the first to kneel before the king or queen and to express their words of allegiance. They are followed by the peers of the realm, who pay their respects in order of seniority starting with the Prince of Wales. At the coronation of George V in 1911, the future Edward VIII took off his coronet, climbed the steps of the throne, knelt before his father, and recited: “I, Edward, prince of Wales, do become your liege man of life and limb and of earthly worship; and faith and truth I will bear unto you, to live and die against all manner of folks. So help me God.” He then stood, touched the crown on his father’s head, kissed him on the left cheek, and fell back.
At Elizabeth II’s coronation, the most senior peer was Philip, duke of Edinburgh, who paid tribute in a manner similar to Edward VIII’s words. Although Philip was the husband of the reigning queen, unlike a queen consort, he was not crowned or anointed at the ceremony. His homage was followed by the most senior peers of each rank (duke, marquess, earl, viscount, and baron). Before 1902 every peer paid homage individually, taking a substantial amount of time. In the 21st century this part of the ceremony was left unsettled after the House of Lords Act (1999) removed most hereditary peers from Parliament. For his coronation, Charles III determined that his eldest son and heir, Prince William, would be the only peer to pay homage. After the prince of Wales took his oath, the archbishop of Canterbury, for the first time, invited citizens of Britain and the Commonwealth to pledge their allegiance. The so-called homage of the people, though intended to give the public a more active role in the ceremony, faced criticism for being outdated and having connotations of a command.
At this point, if there is a queen consort, she is crowned in a simpler ceremony. She is usually anointed with holy oil upon her head and then invested with regalia, including a crown. Before the 20th century, queen consorts wore custom tiaras, but Mary of Teck began a new tradition in 1911 when she had a crown made for the coronation of her husban...
The ceremony concludes with a procession out of the abbey. The monarch now wears the Imperial State Robe (also called the Robe of Estate) of purple velvet and the Imperial State Crown. He or she also holds the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross and the Sovereign’s Orb. Once again the sovereign is transported via the Gold State Coach in another state pr...
The monarch is usually crowned in Westminster Abbey, normally by the Archbishop of Canterbury. A coronation is not necessary for a sovereign to reign; indeed, the ceremony usually takes place many months after accession to allow sufficient time for its preparation and for a period of mourning. [93]
The monarch put on the robes known as the Colobium Sindonis and the Supertunica of cloth of gold. The ceremonial sword and spurs were presented and the Sword of State was offered at the Altar. The sovereign was invested with the armills, or bracelets, the Stole, the Robe Royal and the Orb.
May 6, 2023 · The ceremony was held at Westminster Abbey, with the King becoming the 40th reigning monarch to be crowned there since 1066. Queen Camilla was crowned alongside him before a huge parade back to...
Mar 30, 2020 · William was himself crowned there on Christmas Day 1066 CE. Subsequent kings and queens, all keen to maintain a link with history and emphasise their legitimacy for the role, repeated many of the ceremonial elements which are still a part of the coronation ceremony today.
