On June 2, all Britain celebrated the 60th anniversary of Elizabeth’s II reign. On the second of June, 1953, Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor ascended to the throne, becoming the most famous ruler in the world – if not the most favorite one – with the title of a monarch.
We suggest recollecting five interesting facts about the coronation and looking at the archival photos from the ceremony.
Elizabeth was proclaimed Queen on February 6, 1952, after the death of her father, King George VI. At that time, she and her husband were on a holiday in Kenya. The coronation ceremony took place only a year and a half later, after the mourning period ended.
The best-known fact is that the coronation of Elizabeth II became the first nation-wide event, which was shown live on television. It happened despite the fact that Winston Churchill and the leaders of the British Church were strongly against such a decision. However, the future ruler and her advisers insisted. Elizabeth said that people had to see her in order to believe her. As a result, the broadcasting, organized by BBC, was watched by 27 million people in Britain and about 100 million people around the world. This episode is said to be the turning point in the history of television.
Elizabeth had begun to wear her crown three weeks before the ceremony. She did not remove it from her head during breakfast or while having a walk. That was the way to prepare for the coronation. Believe it or not, but the crown is decorated with 275 precious stones and weighs more than three kilos! Of course, it took a while to get used to such a weight on the head.
The coronation ceremony was held in St. Peter’s cathedral church in Westminster. The first monarch crowned there was William I the Conqueror (December 5, 1066 – September 9, 1087). It is worth noting that all British monarchs have been crowned in this church. By the way, it was here that the wedding of Prince William and Catherine took place.
Coronation Day was celebrated in all countries of the Commonwealth. Post stamps have been issued to commemorate this event. By the way, the pictures from the BBC live broadcast can be seen on numerous post boxes.
