The Unofficial British Royal Family Pages

Friday 30 June 2006

By Command of The Queen

The Earl Marshal is directed to invite

You, Gentle Reader

To be present at the Abbey Church of

Westminster on the 2^nd day of June 1953

If you had received this from The Duke of Norfolk, Earl Marshal in charge of arranging the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, you were among the overjoyed multitude who personally witnessed a Coronation that was not only the first to be televised worldwide, but actually went off flawlessly. In every sense it was just like a June wedding but one that had taken over a year to plan, with a working reception that lasted for days after. No bride ever had to take more extravagant public vows, or enjoyed the ceremony less, than that 27-year-old mother of two.

For one thing she was probably a complete nervous wreck. Knowing of all the things that had gone spectacularly wrong at the coronations of her ancestors she was no doubt on tenterhooks the entire day waiting for her own catastrophe to befall.

Charles II�s ceremony had to be put off when it was discovered that the coronation regalia had disappeared, at the hand of Oliver Cromwell it is presumed. George IV was said to have employed boxers as his pages to keep his hated wife out of the room so she couldn�t be crowned. Queen Victoria�s coronation ring had been made for her little finger, but the archbishop chose to jam it onto her ring finger by mistake, where it got painfully stuck. Edward VII got appendicitis just before his and it had to be postponed. The first coronation to be televised was her father�s, George VI. Fortunately in 1937 very few people had the new television sets in their homes so they would not have seen the bishop who had his thumb planted right over an important part of the Oath so the king couldn�t read it. Or when the lord chamberlain accidentally whacked him with the hilt of the Sword of State, or when somebody stepped on the train of his robe and nearly hauled him over backwards.

Norfolk also knew it all and he was going to make sure that everything went smoothly on the day. Earl Marshal is a hereditary position. Coronations and other major royal occasions are conducted under his direct leadership. It was even more complicated because a meeting of the Commonwealth Prime Ministers and Chief Ministers was going to take place over the following three days, since they would be in town anyway. Entourages and representatives from India, Pakistan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Rhodesia, Malta, Ceylon, South African and Jamaica all had to be accommodated. Troops who would take part in the parade to and from Westminster Abbey had to have a place to stay and practice. Crews from Royal Canadian Air Force were readying their Sabre jets for the royal fly past. Uniforms had to be spiffed up. Transport had to be arranged. Clothes had to be made and regalia had to be polished. The world�s media was watching and descending en masse.

Ships began landing military regiments from all over the world at Liverpool, to be greeted by the Liverpool Irish pipe band. From Southampton many continued up the Thames to anchor in the river where great crowds formed to wonder at them. Troops were dispersed to Pirbright Army Camp in Surrey where they were billeted and began dress rehearsals. As they would be marching through archways they practiced using piled up crates to simulate the street conditions, so their formations would stay straight.

At the Royal School of Needlework the Royal Purple Coronation robe, (a replica of a Roman Consul�s dress uniform, originally made for George V), the GVIR insignia was replaced with EIIR, hand-sown with gold thread, while the embroidered olives and wheatsheaves, symbolizing peace and prosperity, were freshened up.

As the day approached Mounties from Canada, the Royal Papuan Constabulary and Pakistani pipers were seen throughout London, sightseeing and getting to know their fellow police officers. Sentries from the Australian Army and Nepali Gurkhas relieved the British Grenadiers guarding Buckingham Palace. Special staffs were added at countries� embassies to handle requests from the vast numbers of their citizens who wanted to be there to see it all.

Special scale models of the entire Westminster area and parade route from Buckingham Palace were constructed so the organizing committee could go over every conceivable detail. An annex was built near the Abbey especially for Coronation guests, and large embassies like Canada�s began making preparations for citizens to have a place to gather and rest during the festivities.

Selfridge�s Department Store in Oxford Street erected an extravagant display. Flanking a life-size statue of the Queen on horseback during a Trooping of the Colours ceremony were two giant reproductions of statements. One written by Queen Elizabeth I in 1558, read,

��this Kingdom hath had many wise, noble and victorious princes~
but in love, care, sincerity and justice I will compare with any prince that ever you had or shall have.�
 

The other quoted Queen Elizabeth II in 1953:

��with a new faith in the old and splendid beliefs given us by our forefathers,
and the strength to venture beyond the safeties of the past, I know we shall be worthy of our duty!�

Before dawn on what promised to be an overcast and chilly June 2, massive crowds had already gathered. Some had set up camp the night before. The bleachers near Admiralty Arch and the Victoria Monument began to fill with white-gloved girls. Thousands of sailors formed a solid line, standing about two feet apart, strung out along both sides of the entire route to keep the spectators back from the street.

Inside the Abbey the invited guests in native costume began to assemble and take their seats, removing the rain gear that had protected feathers, silks, and furs. The excitement began to grow as the time for the State Coach to leave Buckingham Palace approached. The Stone of Scone rested in its place beneath the Coronation Chair in St. Edward�s Chapel. The Crown of St. Edward, used only for the Coronation ceremony itself, and which the Queen had been wearing on and off for several weeks as she went about her daily routine, to practice holding up its considerable weight (2.3kms or just over 5 pounds). This crown was made in 1661 to replace the original. It is made of solid gold, studded with pearls and hundreds of precious stones.

The one she will wear to and from the Abbey was the Imperial State Crown. It was made for Queen Victoria in 1838, said to be decorated with the Black Prince�s Ruby which he wore at Agincourt; a sapphire from the ring of Edward the Confessor; Elizabeth I�s pearl earrings; the Cullinan II diamond at 317 carats; and a sapphire owned by the Stuart kings.

The Golden Orb, a symbol of the Christian religion, is the most sacred of the regalia. It is a hollow gold ball decorated with 365 diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires and about 370 pearls. The symbol of power is the royal Sceptre. This one holds the 530 carat Star of Africa below the cross surrounding a beautiful amethyst stone.

The actual anointing takes place using the only two original artifacts from medieval times. The Ampulla containing the Holy Oil was probably made for Henry IV�s coronation in 1399, and the Anointing Spoon a century earlier. The oil itself is said to be prepared from a recipe devised by Charles I. Golden bracelets called Armillas were made especially for this service. St. George�s Spurs, made of gold in 1661, were originally intended to be buckled onto Charles II�s boots (and his male successors�), but this custom was abandoned from Queen Anne�s time, as her ankles were too fat.

The Sword of State, which is carried before the monarch, is a symbol of authority.

At last the State Coach, drawn by eight grays, and accompanied by the Household Cavalry and Beefeaters, begins its stately procession. Out the gates of the Palace, down the Mall, past Admiralty Arch, through Trafalgar Square and down Northumberland Avenue. Following in coaches behind are the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret, then Prime Minister Churchill in full dress, then Prime Ministers and monarchs of other nations. The skies have opened but the enthusiasm of the crowds is stronger than ever. As the carriages pass by they know the wait is going to be a long one. Out come the sandwich sacks of military and civilian alike-lunch time.

But the ordeal is only beginning for the Queen and her family. Waiting for her is the Archbishop of Canterbury and other bishops. The Presiding Bishop of Japan presented him with the magnificent Cope (cloak) he wears. Embedded in it are two large amethysts put there by Queen Victoria�s Archbishop. She and Prince Philip arrive at the Great West Door of the Abbey. She begins the Processional. Eight Maids of Honour hold up the hem of her Coronation Robe, followed by the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire, Mistress of the Robes. With the Regalia preceding she walks, flanked by bishops, to the Chair of Estate. Behind her in the Royal Gallery sits her mother, sister, bewildered four-year-old son Charles and rest of the family. Facing her sit her husband and the Dukes of Kent and Gloucester.

Her robe and crown are removed and she sits clad in a simple white, short-sleeved dress, hands folded in her lap, staring straight ahead for the Recognition. The Archbishop turns to face in turn North, South, East and West and at each stop intones� Sirs, I here present unto you Queen Elizabeth, the rightful inheritor of the Crown of this Realm. Wherefore all yet that are come this day to do your homage, service and bounden duty, are ye willing to do the same? Then, led by the King�s Scholars of Westminster School all the people shout they are, accompanied by drums, trumpet fanfare and a rousing rendition of God Save the Queen!

Now comes the main event-The Liturgy of the Coronation. Four Knights of the Garter enter from behind supporting the Anointing Canopy. The Litany is chanted, followed by Holy Communion (This is a High Anglican service), the Sermon and then the taking of the Oath. The Queen rises and walks over to the High Altar where she sets her hand on the Bible, kneels and says �The things which I have here before promised, I will perform and keep. So help me God�. She then kisses the Book and signs the Oath. (The Anointing ceremony itself is so ancient and so sacred that was not televised and has never been described). The Archbishop then gives his blessing.

Her Royal Robes restored; she resumes her Chair. The Orb is placed in her right hand and the Sceptre in her left. The Bishop then asks this blessing, �O God, the Crown of the faithful: bless we beseech Thee and sanctify this Thy servant Elizabeth our Queen� and as Thou dost this day set a Crown of pure gold upon her Head so enrich her Royal Heart with Thine abundant grace, and crown her with all princely virtues, through the King Eternal Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen. Taking St. Edward�s Crown from the altar he places it carefully upon her head, then the Coronation Ring (the Wedding Ring of England) is slipped onto her finger.

As her nobles put on their own coronets the newly crowned Queen is lifted from her Chair and helped up to a dais to her left and lowered carefully (she�s pretty heavy by now) onto her Throne. Though the weight of the robes, crown and regalia must be crushing, her facial expression never changes. One of the Homage Anthems, written by a Canadian composer especially for this occasion, was adapted from a service of thanksgiving for Queen Victoria�s long reign. As the choir presents them for the first time, the Dukes, starting with her own husband come forward, kneel before her and declare their allegiance with this pledge �I do become your liege man of Life and Limb, and of early worship; and Faith and Truth I will bear unto you, to live and die, against all manner of Folks. So help me God�. This is the same pledge her son Charles would render several years later as she officially crowned him Prince of Wales.

A Te Deum is sung, then Communion is taken. After the coronation crown is exchanged with the Imperial State Crown (much lighter), the lines of William Blake�s magnificent hymn Jerusalem, �...Till we have built Jerusalem in England�s green and pleasant land� thunder through the Abbey. Resplendent and no doubt extremely relieved, Her Majesty glides back toward the Great West Door. Four swordsmen go before her, Maidens holding Robe high, then the other members of the Family, Church dignitaries and ending with a colourful collection of those representing all her far-flung territories bringing up the rear.

The crowds have waited all this time in the pouring rain. They have been munching on sandwiches (so have those inside, secreted in pockets, purses and other sundry spots on their persons), and by now the Queen and those on view must be starving. But is it home to lunch and a nap? No chance. Smiling now the Queen and Prince Philip are bundled back into the Coach to retrace the route back to Buckingham Palace. All the troops that had marched so exquisitely in their own formations were now massed together in dignified but convivial procession.

Crowded and pressed into every conceivable corner of every rooftop, balcony, wall, parapet, statue, or flat surface, were hundreds of thousands of cheering, singing, sodden well-wishers. Somehow Churchill�s carriage had gotten out of the line of precedence and had to hold up outside Canada House until he could get back in. The professional status of his Coachman thereafter is not known.

Other monarchs, some in open carriages, made the best of their soaked state, and looked as dignified and regal as one can. Admirals in carriages nodded as their landaus passed back under Admiralty Arch and headed up the Mall to the Palace. As they passed by the Victoria Monument the crowd broke from its bleachers and restraints and forged up toward the gates as the procession headed around back.

After what must have seemed an eternity the doors to the famous balcony opened. At last the Queen, her Consort, her two little children, sister, grandmother (the Dowager Queen Mary), her own mother Queen Elizabeth (soon to be affectionately known throughout the world as the Queen Mum), Dukes, Duchesses, Earls and family retainers pressed in to get a glimpse of the tumult below them. Under the proud gaze of her husband the Queen�s smile finally broke free. She waved somewhat nervously at them all and they screamed �God Save the Queen�, and �Rule Britannia� back at her. All eyes went up as the Lancasters and Spitfires blasted overhead. Ironically she may have been wishing her father could have been there to see this. Finally it was time for the photos.

Alone, with husband, with children, with Maids and Mistress of the Robes, with the entire gang and with her Ministers and fellow monarchs, she stood for hours in full getup for the official pictures that would be published throughout the commonwealth for years to come.

Next day began the 3-day Commonwealth Prime Ministers meeting, an Investiture Ceremony, inspections and the presentation of hundreds of Coronation Medals for each service person who had taken part in the Coronation or had been on guard duty 24 hours a day. Each wore his or hers proudly. Decades later all those in the crowd can still recount in vivid detail everything they witnessed that glorious day.

Fortunately, the honeymoon between the Queen and her subjects never really ended. She has been on the throne now for 53 years officially. Each Jubilee the public is reminded yet again, of her value and her steadfastness. As her son Prince Andrew put it, �I would put her appeal down to consistency. In their eyes, she�s never let them down�. Wish she could say the same of them.

Happy Anniversary, Ma�am, and also a very happy 85^th Birthday to the Duke of Edinburgh on the 20^th and to Prince William who celebrated his 24^th birthday on the first day of summer, from your ever-humble servant�

- The Court Jester