This article was originally published in Ukrainian on June 2, 2021. Its English version is updated on September 10, 2022.
The route of the procession through London was laid out in such a way that as many people as possible could see the new queen. About 30 000 participants of the procession covered the distance of 7.2 kilometers in two hours. In the picture: a procession in honor of the coronation of Elizabeth II in London on June 2, 1953.
Elizabeth rode in a special Gold State carriage, later she complained that the ride was extremely uncomfortable and she "bounced all the time on the hard seats." Here Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip go to the coronation. The gilded Gold State carriage weighed four tons, was more than 7 meters long and about 4 meters high. It was built in 1762. The back of the carriage has tritons, which symbolize the power of the British Empire.
People took the best places on the thousands rally route a day before the start of the coronation ceremony of Elizabeth II. Pictured here are Mrs Birch and her eight-year-old son John, spending the night outside Buckingham Palace on June 2, 1953.
There were not enough places on the route of the ceremony. So, people organized their celebrations in honor of the coronation in different areas of London. Here, a girl at the mass gatherindgs during the celebration of the coronation of Elizabeth II in London Industrial East End district, on June 2, 1953.
During the thousands rally, about seven thousand police officers monitored the order. In the picture: a police border during the coronation ceremony of Elizabeth II, on June 2, 1953.
This was the first coronation ceremony in the history of Britain to be fully broadcast live on television. Before that, it was not allowed to film inside Westminster Abbey. 27 million people watched it only in Great Britain. The entire event was covered by more than two thousand journalists from almost a hundred countries. In the picture: Pilots filming a newsreel of the coronation for showing in the U.S. and Canada, on June 2, 1953.
Coronations of monarchs have taken place in Westminster Abbey since 1066. On Elizabethʼs head is the crown of St. Edward, created in 1661. It is made of pure gold and weighs more than two kilograms. The Queen tried it on before the ceremony to get used to the massive jewelry. She could not even put her head down and read the speech with it. She was afraid that she would "break her neck" under the weight of the crown. In the picture: Prince Philip bows his knee to his wife during the coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953.
After the fitting, Elizabeth put the crown aside and focused on preparing for the ceremony. At this time, four-year-old Prince Charles grabbed her. He could have dropped the heavy crown, which would surely have been damaged when it fell. Therefore, the whole ceremony could have been disrupted. But one of the maids of honor noticed it and took the crown. In the picture: Prince Charles with his aunt Princess Margaret (right) and grandmother Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (left) at the coronation of his mother, Elizabeth II, on June 2, 1953.
After the coronation, Elizabeth II appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. On her head was the crown of the British Empire, which was a little bit lighter than the previous one. In the picture: Queen Elizabeth II with Prince Philip on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, on July 2, 1953.
Elizabethʼs grandmother (Queen Mary) did not live to see the coronation of Elizabeth by several months. In her [Mary] will, she asked that her death not affect the planning of the ceremony and that the coronation be held as scheduled. In the picture: Queen Elizabeth II with other members of the British Royal Family and foreign royal houses in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace on June 2, 1953.
The dress for the ceremony was created by court fashion designer Norman Gartnell. It was made of white satin and decorated with the coats of arms of Great Britain and the Commonwealth of Nations, embroidered with gold and silver threads. According to the Queen, this dress was very uncomfortable. She recalls that "for one moment I just couldnʼt move." In the picture: Elizabeth II in coronation dress, holding the symbols of monarchical power in her hands, on July 2, 1953.
After the coronation, Elizabeth II wore the coronation dress six more times, including for the opening of parliament in New Zealand and Australia in 1954. Here Elizabeth II is in her coronation dress, on June 4, 1953. Cover of the Special Issue of souvenir products dedicated to the coronation of Elizabeth II, with the first line of the national anthem of Great Britain "God Save the Queen", on June 13, 1953.
Translated from Ukrainian by Ruslana Stolz.
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