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Despite centuries of past precedents, each monarch brings their own personal touch to their coronation, whether it’s spending lavishly or sticking to a budget, commissioning new music or new Crown Jewels, or, more recently, inviting television cameras into Westminster Abbey”
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THE MOST MEMORABLE IN BRITISH HISTORY
5 MAY 2023
On May 6, the coronation of King Charles III will take place at London’s Westminster Abbey. It’s a tradition that’s shaped the history of the monarchy from medieval to modern times—but the ceremony hasn’t always gone according to plan…
A Thousand Years of Coronations
On May 6, King Charles III will be crowned in Westminster Abbey with his consort, Queen Camilla. While Charles became King at the moment of the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on Sept. 8, 2022, the coronation ceremony serves to symbolize the monarch’s lifelong commitment to the roles of sovereign and supreme Governor of the Church of England. At the event, King Charles III will be crowned King of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth realms (including Canada). He’ll be anointed with holy oil, and will swear to govern as a constitutional monarch according to the laws decided in parliament.
While key traditions associated with modern royal weddings, christenings and jubilees date from Queen Victoria’s reign in the 19th century, the coronation service is much older. It was written by St. Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury in AD 973, and Westminster Abbey has been the setting for coronations since 1066. Charles III will be the 40th monarch to be crowned there.
Despite centuries of past precedents, each monarch brings their own personal touch to their coronation, whether it’s spending lavishly or sticking to a budget, commissioning new music or new Crown Jewels, or, more recently, inviting television cameras into Westminster Abbey. Here are 12 memorable British royal coronations that shaped the history of the monarchy from medieval to modern times—including a few that did not go according to plan.
The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II (1953)
Coronation on Television
The accession of the 25-year-old Queen Elizabeth II on Feb. 6, 1952, symbolized the beginning of “a new Elizabethan age” after the austerity of the Second World War. The decision to invite television cameras into Westminster Abbey to film the whole ceremony (except for the sacred anointing of the monarch) on June 2, 1953, seemed to bring the monarchy into the modern age, allowing audiences around the world to feel as though they were part of this landmark event. More than 250-million people watched on television as Queen Elizabeth II was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth realms, many purchasing television sets for the first time for the occasion and hosting coronation parties. In Westminster Abbey, the four-year-old future King Charles III attended the ceremony, seated between his aunt, Princess Margaret, and grandmother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.
Take a look back at the incredible life of Queen Elizabeth II.
The Coronation of King George VI (1937)
A Change in King
While 16 months passed between Elizabeth II’s accession and coronation, her father, King George VI, didn’t have nearly so long to wait. When Edward VIII abdicated to marry the twice-divorced American Wallis Simpson, George VI succeeded his brother as King, and was crowned just five months later on Dec. 11, 1936—the day originally scheduled for Edward’s coronation. Under the circumstances, the coronation followed past traditions to emphasize continuity, but there were a few significant departures. For the first time, the coronation was broadcast on the radio and film footage was shown in cinema newsreels. The coronation oath also changed to reflect the equal status of the United Kingdom and Dominions following the 1926 Balfour Declaration and 1931 Statute of Westminster. George VI swore “to govern the peoples of Great Britain, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Union of South Africa, of your Possessions and the other Territories to any of them belonging or pertaining, and of your Empire of India, according to their respective laws and customs”—setting the tone for the development of the modern Commonwealth.
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The Coronation of King George V (1911)
A New Crown
St. Edward’s Crown has been used at coronations since 1661, but it wasn’t permanently set with precious stones until much more recently. (Instead, gems were loaned by jewellers to decorate the crown for individual coronations, then returned after the ceremony.) For his 1911 coronation, King George V and his consort, Queen Mary, arranged for the crown to be permanently set with 444 precious stones. Queen Mary purchased an Art Deco-inspired crown for her own crowning as Queen consort, and this will be used to crown Queen Camilla at Charles III’s coronation.
George V’s coronation was also notable for the additional events planned around the coronation to showcase the British Empire and the Royal Navy. There was a Coronation Naval Review of the Fleet, which attracted a quarter-million spectators, and a Festival of Empire, which included “Inter-Empire Championships,” the forerunner of the modern Commonwealth Games.
Here are the 10 most memorable royal visits to Canada.
The Coronation of King Edward VII (1902)
A Medical Emergency
When Queen Victoria’s eldest son succeeded to throne in 1901 as King Edward VII at the age of 59, planning his coronation was a challenge. So much time had passed since Victoria’s coronation in 1838 that few people remembered how the ceremony should unfold. Luckily, Victoria’s elderly cousin, Princess Augusta of Cambridge was on hand to provide valuable insights for the planning committee.
Once the plans were in place, they were derailed by a medical emergency. Just two days before the planned coronation on June 26, 1902, Edward VII underwent an emergency operation for appendicitis on a table in the music room of Buckingham Palace. The coronation was rescheduled to Aug. 9. Despite his uncertain health, Edward VII refused suggestions that the ceremony, including the anointing, be condensed, stating, “If I am going to be done, I am going to be done properly.”
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The Coronation of Queen Victoria (1838)
Leftovers in Westminster Abbey
The coronation of the 19-year-old Queen Victoria on June 28, 1838, took place without a rehearsal, resulting in numerous mishaps. When the Queen entered St. Edward’s chapel in Westminster Abbey, she found half-eaten sandwiches and empty bottles of wine on the altar, which had been enjoyed by guests involved in the ceremony including Prime Minister Lord Melbourne. An 82-year-old peer named Lord Rolle stumbled on the steps before the throne while paying homage to the Queen and rolled backward, regaining his footing with the Queen’s assistance. Queen Victoria noted another uncomfortable moment in her journal: “The Archbishop had (most awkwardly) put the [coronation] ring on the wrong finger, and the consequence was that I had the greatest difficulty to take it off again, which I at last did with great pain.”
The young Queen’s calm demeanour and good humour during all these unfortunate moments endeared her to the public. Throughout her long reign, Victoria would ensure royal ceremonies were better organized, introducing innovations that continue to the present day.
Here are more Queen Victoria facts most people don’t know.
The Coronation of King William IV (1831)
The Half-Crown Nation
Queen Victoria’s uncle, William IV, was a retired naval officer who had no interest in royal ceremony. Over the course of his seven-year reign, he repeatedly tried to give away Buckingham Palace. (Neither the navy nor parliament was interested.) After first questioning whether a coronation was necessary at all, William ultimately conceded to a simplified ceremony. He agreed to travel to Westminster Abbey in the gold state coach (above) commissioned for the coronation of his father, King George III, but he refused to allow a coronation banquet and wore his admiral’s uniform rather than ceremonial dress. Tory members of parliament who objected to the comparative absence of pomp and circumstance nicknamed the ceremony,“The Half-Crown Nation.”
Don’t miss our ultimate guide to royal residences.
The Coronation of King George IV (1821)
No Invitation for the Queen Consort
William IV’s determination to hold a coronation on a budget may have been an effort to distance himself from his unpopular older brother (and predecessor), George IV. Known for his lavish spending, George IV had the most expensive coronation in British history, complete with a new crown decorated with 12,000 diamonds. An enthusiastic collector of French art and furnishings, he also commissioned an exact replica of Napoleon Bonaparte’s lavish coronation robes from a workshop in Paris—a controversial decision in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars.
His coronation would not be remembered for its pageantry, however, but for the King’s refusal to invite the Queen consort to the ceremony. When George IV’s estranged wife, Caroline of Brunswick, arrived at Westminster Hall, she was told by the doorman that she could not enter without a ticket. Her efforts to find another entrance were blocked by a line of soldiers. After arguing with numerous officials, the uncrowned consort departed in her carriage as the crowds chanted, “Shame! Shame!” She died two weeks later.
Check out the most scandalous royal memoirs ever published.
The Coronation of King George II (1727)
Coronation Anthems
The coronation of George IV’s great-grandfather, George II, also included extravagant fashions. George II’s Queen consort, Caroline of Ansbach, wore a dress so heavily encrusted with jewels that she required a pulley to lift the skirt so that she could kneel to take communion during the ceremony. The enduring legacy of George II’s coronation, however, was the composition of four choral coronation anthems by George Frederic Handel. The most famous of these anthems, Zadok the Priest, has been sung before the anointing at every subsequent monarch’s coronation.
In 2023, Charles III followed in George II’s footsteps by commissioning new coronation anthems. There will 12 original compositions performed at Charles III’s coronation, including an anthem by Andrew Lloyd Weber.
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The Coronation of Charles II (1661)
New Crown Jewels
The English Civil Wars left the country without a king for 11 years. When Charles II returned to England to reclaim the throne in 1660, a coronation was essential to symbolize the restoration of the monarchy. Unfortunately, only one piece of coronation regalia had survived: the silver anointing spoon acquired by Henry II or his son Richard the Lionheart in the 12th century. Recognizing the urgent need for new Crown Jewels, Charles II commissioned a new St. Edward’s Crown, orb and sceptre from his goldsmith, Sir Edward Vyner—then defaulted on the payments for the regalia following the Stop of the Exchequer in 1672, when the state defaulted on its debts.
After the ceremony, the new Crown Jewels were stored in the Tower of London, where they made a tempting target for thieves. In 1671, an Anglo-Irish officer by the name of Colonel Thomas Blood gained access to the Tower of London disguised as clergyman, overpowered the Master of the Jewel House and stole St. Edward’s Crown. Blood was apprehended on Tower Wharf, shouting, “It was a gallant attempt, however unsuccessful! It was for a crown!” Security at the Tower of London would improve, but attempts to steal the Crown Jewels continue to this day.
Check out current estimates of how much the Crown Jewels are worth.
The Coronation of Henry III (1216 and 1220)
Two Coronations
Charles II wasn’t the only king who scrambled to find a crown in time for his coronation. When Henry III succeeded his father, the villainous King John, at the age of nine, he was left without royal regalia. (John had lost the Crown Jewels when his baggage train overturned in a marsh in 1215, as he hurried to flee rebel barons and a French invasion after repudiating Magna Carta earlier that year.)
The First Barons’ War was still raging when John died suddenly in 1216. With rebel barons and a French army occupying London, Westminster Abbey was not available as a coronation venue. Henry’s supporters hastily organized a ceremony at Gloucester Cathedral where the boy king was crowned with one of his mother’s circlets just 10 days after his father’s death. Neither the young king nor his regents thought this coronation was sufficient to guarantee a monarch’s authority in tumultuous times, so after the First Barons’ War ended and the French were defeated, the teenaged Henry petitioned the Pope for permission to be crowned again. In 1220, Henry III received a traditional coronation at Westminster Abbey.
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The Coronation of King William I (1066)
Riot on Coronation Day
After William, Duke of Normandy defeated the last Anglo-Saxon English King Harold II at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, he was crowned King William I at Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day. When the bishops performing the ceremony asked the English people if they accepted their new King, the crowds shouted their approval—in English. Unfortunately, William’s guards spoke only Norman French and thought they were hearing an assassination attempt. The guards began attacking the crowds and set fire to nearby buildings. Inside Westminster Abbey, the coronation guests panicked and stampeded out of the Abbey before the ceremony was over. The riot at the coronation left the new king so concerned about his personal security that he ordered the construction of the Tower of London as a royal residence, fortress and prison; a historic site which still stands today.
The Coronation of Edgar the Peaceable (973)
1000 Years of Monarchy
In 973, St. Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, wrote the coronation service for the crowning of the Anglo-Saxon King of England, Edgar the Peaceable, and his consort, Aelfthryth, at Bath Abbey. The ceremony marked the zenith of Edgar’s reign rather than its beginning. By 973, Edgar had been king for 14 years, taking advantage of a lull in Viking attacks to acquire more ships and reform the monasteries.
In 1973, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and their children attended a service at Bath Abbey to mark the 1000th anniversary of Edgar the Peaceable’s coronation. When King Charles III is crowned, he will be following in the footsteps of a thousand years of kings and queens who pledged their lifelong commitment to their people in a coronation ceremony.
Next, take a look back at King Charles’s most memorable visits to Canada.
WIKIPEDIA
LIST OF BRITISH CORONATIONS
Monarchs of England (900–1603)[edit]
| Monarch | Consort | Date of accession | Date of coronation | Presiding cleric |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward the Elder | 26 October 899 | Whit Sunday, 8 June 900 Kingston upon Thames | Plegmund, Archbishop of Canterbury | |
| Æthelstan | 17 July 924 | 4 September 925 Kingston upon Thames | Athelm, Archbishop of Canterbury | |
| Edmund I | 27 October 939 | Possibly 1 December 939 Kingston upon Thames | Oda, Archbishop of Canterbury | |
| Eadred | 26 May 946 | 16 August 946 Kingston upon Thames | ||
| Eadwig | 23 November 955 | 26 January 956 Kingston upon Thames | ||
| Edgar | Ælfthryth | 1 October 959 | Whit Sunday, 11 May 973 Bath Abbey | Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| Edward the Martyr | 8 July 975 | August 975 Kingston upon Thames | Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury and Oswald, Archbishop of York | |
| Æthelred the Unready | 18 March 978 | April 978 Kingston upon Thames | ||
| Edmund Ironside | 23 April 1016 | 25 April 1016 Old St Paul’s Cathedral | Lyfing, Archbishop of Canterbury | |
| Cnut | 30 November 1016 | Possibly January 1017 Old St Paul’s Cathedral | ||
| Harthacnut | 17 March 1040 | Possibly June 1040 Canterbury Cathedral | Eadsige, Archbishop of Canterbury | |
| Edward the Confessor | 8 June 1042 | Easter Sunday, 3 April 1043 Old Minster, Winchester | ||
| Edith of Wessex | January 1045 Old Minster, Winchester | |||
| Harold II | 5 January 1066 | Saturday, 6 January 1066 probably at Westminster Abbey | Ealdred, Archbishop of York or Stigand, Archbishop of Canterbury[1] | |
| William I – article | [a] | Nov-Dec 1066 | Christmas Day, Monday, 25 December 1066 | Ealdred, Archbishop of York |
| [b] | Matilda of Flanders | Sunday, 11 May 1068 | ||
| William II | [c] | 9 September 1087 | Sunday, 26 September 1087 | Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| Henry I | [d] | 2 August 1100 | Sunday, 5 August 1100 | Maurice, Bishop of London |
| [b] | Matilda of Scotland | 11 November 1100 marriage | Sunday, 11 November 1100 | Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| [b] | Adeliza of Louvain | 24 January 1121 marriage | Sunday, 30 January 1121 | Ralph d’Escures, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| Stephen | [a] | Thursday, 26 December 1135 | William de Corbeil, Archbishop of Canterbury | |
| [b] | Matilda of Boulogne | Sunday, 22 March 1136 | ? | |
| Henry II | Eleanor of Aquitaine | 25 October 1154 | Sunday, 19 December 1154 | Theobald of Bec, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| Henry the Young King | [a] | Sunday, 14 June 1170 | Roger de Pont L’Evêque, Archbishop of York | |
| Margaret of France | Sunday, 27 August 1172 Winchester Cathedral | Rotrou, Archbishop of Rouen | ||
| Richard I | [d] | 6 July 1189 | Sunday, 3 September 1189 | Baldwin of Exeter, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| [b] | Berengaria of Navarre | 12 May 1191 marriage | Sunday, 12 May 1191 Kingdom of Cyprus | |
| John | [d] | 6 April 1199 | Ascension Day, Thursday, 27 May 1199 | Hubert Walter, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| [b] | Isabella of Angoulême | 24 August 1200 marriage | Sunday, 8 October 1200 | |
| Henry III | [d] | 19 October 1216 | Friday, 28 October 1216 Church of St. Peter in Gloucester (now Gloucester Cathedral) | Cardinal Guala Bicchieri or Peter des Roches, Bishop of Winchester |
| [d] | Sunday, 17 May 1220 | Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury | ||
| [b] | Eleanor of Provence | 14 January 1236 marriage | Sunday, 20 January 1236 | Edmund Rich, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| Edward I | Eleanor of Castile | 16 November 1272 | Sunday, 19 August 1274 | Robert Kilwardby, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| Edward II | Isabella of France | 7 July 1307 | Sunday, 25 February 1308 | Henry Woodlock, Bishop of Winchester |
| Edward III | [d] | 20 January 1327 | Sunday, 1 February 1327 | Walter Reynolds, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| [b] | Philippa of Hainault | 24 January 1328 marriage | Sunday, 18 February 1330 | Simon Mepeham, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| Richard II | [d] | 21 June 1377 | Thursday, 16 July 1377 | Simon Sudbury, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| [b] | Anne of Bohemia | 20 January 1382 marriage | Thursday, 22 January 1382 | William Courtenay, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| [b] | Isabella of Valois | 1 November 1396 marriage | Monday, 8 January 1397 | Thomas Arundel, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| Henry IV | [d] | 30 September 1399 | Monday, 13 October 1399 | |
| [b] | Joanna of Navarre | 7 February 1403 marriage | Monday, 26 February 1403 | |
| Henry V | [d] | 20 March 1413 | Sunday, 9 April 1413 | |
| [b] | Catherine of Valois | 2 June 1420 marriage | Sunday, 23 February 1421 | Henry Chichele, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| Henry VI | [d] | 31 August 1422 | Sunday, 6 November 1429 | |
| [d] | 21 October 1422 | Sunday, 16 December 1431 as King of France Notre Dame de Paris | Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester | |
| [b] | Margaret of Anjou | 23 April 1445 marriage | Sunday, 30 May 1445 | John Stafford, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| Edward IV | [d] | 4 March 1461 | Sunday, 28 June 1461 | Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| [b] | Elizabeth Woodville | 1 May 1464 marriage | Sunday, 26 May 1465 | |
| Richard III | Anne Neville | 25 June 1483 | Sunday, 6 July 1483 | |
| Henry VII | [d] | 22 August 1485 | Sunday, 30 October 1485 | |
| [b] | Elizabeth of York | 18 January 1486 | Sunday, 25 November 1487 | John Morton, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| Henry VIII – article | Catherine of Aragon | 21 April 1509 (King) 11 June 1509 (Queen) marriage | Sunday, 24 June 1509 | William Warham, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| [b] | Anne Boleyn– article | 28 May 1533 marriage | Sunday, 1 June 1533 | Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| Edward VI – article | [c] | 28 January 1547 | Sunday, 20 February 1547 | |
| Mary I – article | [d] | 19 July 1553 | Sunday, 1 October 1553 | Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester |
| Elizabeth I – article | [c] | 17 November 1558 | Sunday, 15 January 1559 | Owen Oglethorpe, Bishop of Carlisle |
Monarchs of England, Ireland and Scotland (1603–1707)[edit]
From 1603 onwards England, Ireland and Scotland were personally united under the same ruler (see Personal union).
| Monarch | Consort | Date of accession | Time intervening | Date of coronation | Presiding cleric |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James VI and I – article | Anne of Denmark | 24 March 1602/1603, O.S.[g] | 4 mo 1 d | Monday, 25 July 1603, O.S. | John Whitgift, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| Charles I | [h] | 27 March 1625, O.S. | 10 mo 6 d | Thursday, 2 February 1625/1626, O.S.[g] | George Abbot, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| Charles II | [d] | 30 January 1648/1649, O.S.[g] (de jure) 8 May 1660, O.S. (de facto) | 11 mo 15 d | Saint George’s Day, Tuesday, 23 April 1661, O.S. | William Juxon, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| James II and VII | Mary of Modena | 6 February 1684/1685, O.S.[g] | 2 mo 17 d | Saint George’s Day, Thursday, 23 April 1685, O.S. | William Sancroft, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| William III and II and Mary II | (reigned jointly) | 13 February 1688/1689, O.S.[g] | 1 mo 29 d | Thursday, 11 April 1689, O.S. | Henry Compton, Bishop of London |
| Anne | [i] | 8 March 1701/1702, O.S.[g] | 1 mo 15 d | Thursday, 23 April 1702, O.S. | Thomas Tenison, Archbishop of Canterbury |
Monarchs of Great Britain and Ireland (1707–1801)[edit]
| Monarch | Consort | Date of accession | Time intervening | Date of coronation | Presiding cleric |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George I | [j] | 1 August 1714, O.S. | 2 mo 19 d | Wednesday, 20 October 1714, O.S. | Thomas Tenison, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| George II – article | Caroline of Ansbach | 11 June 1727, O.S. | 4 mo | Wednesday, 11 October 1727, O.S. | William Wake, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| George III – article | Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz | 25 October 1760 (King) 8 September 1761 (Queen) marriage | 10 mo 28 d 14 d | Tuesday, 22 September 1761 | Thomas Secker, Archbishop of Canterbury |
Monarchs of the United Kingdom (1801–present)[edit]
| Monarch | Consort | Date of accession | Time intervening | Date of coronation | Presiding cleric |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George IV – article | [k] | 29 January 1820 | 1 y 5 mo 20 d | Thursday, 19 July 1821 | Charles Manners-Sutton, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| William IV – article | Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen | 26 June 1830 | 1 y 2 mo 13 d | Thursday, 8 September 1831 | William Howley, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| Victoria – article | [d][i] | 20 June 1837 | 1 y 8 d | Thursday, 28 June 1838 | |
| Edward VII – article | Alexandra of Denmark | 22 January 1901 | 1 y 6 mo 18 d | Saturday, 9 August 1902[l] | Frederick Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| George V – article | Mary of Teck | 6 May 1910 | 1 y 1 mo 16 d | Thursday, 22 June 1911 | Randall Davidson, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| Edward VIII – article | [m] | 20 January 1936 | 1 y 3 mo 22 d | Wednesday, 12 May 1937 (cancelled due to his abdication) | Cosmo Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| George VI – article | Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon | 11 December 1936 | 5 mo 1 d | Wednesday, 12 May 1937[n] | |
| Elizabeth II – article | [i] | 6 February 1952 | 1 y 3 mo 27 d | Tuesday, 2 June 1953 | Geoffrey Fisher, Archbishop of Canterbury |
| Charles III – article | Camilla Shand | 8 September 2022 | 7 m 28 d | Saturday, 6 May 2023 | Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury |
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SEE NOTES 24 AND 25