- Read more | King Charles III: your guide to the former Prince of Wales and longest-serving heir apparent in British history<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Archbishop William Sancroft refused to swear allegiance to William III and Mary II (Photo by Archive Photos\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n B\u2026 is for balcony appearance<\/h3>\n
When the pomp of the ceremony has finished, and the coronation procession undertaken back to Buckingham Palace<\/a> from Westminster Abbey, another aspect of modern coronations takes place: an appearance from the newly crowned monarch on the balcony of the palace. The first such appearance was in 1902 when Edward VII and Queen Alexandra stepped out to receive the acclaim of the crowds gathered down below.<\/p>\n
Since then, a balcony appearance has been a fixture of post-coronation celebrations, and in 1953 was accompanied by a fly-past of massed planes \u2013 something that Edward, his coronation a year before the Wright brothers<\/a> first took to the skies, wasn\u2019t treated to.<\/p>\n
- Read more | Buckingham Palace\u2019s balcony: a focal point for national celebration<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Queen Elizabeth II waves from the Buckingham Palace balcony, accompanied by her family and maids of honour (Photo by Hulton Archive\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n C\u2026 is for Cromwell<\/h3>\n
\u201cI cannot undertake this government with the title of a king, and this is mine answer to this great and weighty business.\u201d In May 1657, having brought about the abolition of the monarchy, Oliver Cromwell turned down Parliament\u2019s offer of the crown. He was, though, installed as lord protector in a ceremony at Westminster Hall one month later.<\/p>\n
Although he wasn\u2019t crowned, the occasion shared many of the trappings of a coronation: Cromwell wore a purple robe lined with ermine and sat on the Coronation Chair, which had been transported from Westminster Abbey next door.<\/p>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell famously turned down the title of king (Image by Historical Images Archive \/ Alamy Stock Photo)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n D\u2026 is for Dunstan<\/h3>\n
If there is one chief architect of the coronation ceremony that is still largely used for the crowning of British monarchs today, it is Dunstan, the 10th-century Archbishop of Canterbury later canonised as Saint Dunstan. Presiding over the coronation of King Edgar in Bath in AD 973, he oversaw all aspects of the ceremony. Dunstan\u2019s service emphasised the union between church and monarch, and raised the stature of the occasion to mirror the consecration ceremonies of priests. The coronation was commemorated in verse in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle<\/em><\/a>, while another chronicler, John of Worcester, described it as a service of \u201cgreat pomp and ceremony\u201d.<\/p>\n
- Read more | Who is Britain\u2019s greatest monarch?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
E\u2026 is for Edward VIII<\/h3>\n
In January 1936, Edward, Prince of Wales, succeeded his father, George V<\/a>, as king of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, as well as emperor of India. He would never be crowned, though. In December that year, with his coronation still five months away, he abdicated the throne following disquiet about his relationship with the divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson<\/a>. Edward VIII<\/a> didn\u2019t attend the subsequent coronation of his brother, George VI<\/a>, nor that of his niece, Elizabeth II, in 1953. He and Simpson watched Elizabeth\u2019s coronation on television at their home in Paris.<\/p>\n
- On the podcast | Alexander Larman and Dan Jones discuss Edward VIII\u2019s relationship with Wallis Simpson and how it led to the British king\u2019s abdication<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Edward VIII attempts to hide his face from the cameras after his abdication in 1936 (Photo by Keystone\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n F\u2026 is for fiasco<\/h3>\n
High-profile and complex occasions that they are, coronations have the potential to go wrong \u2013 and in full public view. In 1902, the coronation of Queen Victoria\u2019s successor Edward VII<\/a> (rescheduled after the king suffered a near fatal bout of peritonitis) didn\u2019t go particularly smoothly.<\/p>\n
Officiating the ceremony was the octogenarian archbishop of Canterbury, Frederick Temple, who by then was almost blind. Despite having the service\u2019s prayers reproduced on large cue cards, he still stumbled over his words. When it eventually came to crowning Edward, not only did the archbishop nearly drop the crown, but he also managed to place it on the monarch\u2019s head back to front.<\/p>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Archbishop Frederick Temple almost derailed Edward VII\u2019s big day with his blunders (Photo by Universal History Archive\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n G\u2026 is for guests<\/h3>\n
The coronation of a British monarch with the longest guest-list was that of Elizabeth II<\/a> in 1953. A total of 8,251 dignitaries crammed into Westminster Abbey to observe the ceremony, representing 129 countries and territories from across the globe. One of the most conspicuous royal guests was S\u0101lote Tupou III, the long serving queen of Tonga who stood at nearly two metres tall and was described by Princess Astrid of Sweden as \u201ceveryone\u2019s darling\u201d. The coronation of Charles III will be notably less well-attended, with only a quarter the number of guests who attended his mother\u2019s service taking their seats inside the abbey.<\/p>\n
- Read more | Becoming Queen: Elizabeth II\u2019s coronation<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
H\u2026 is for honours list<\/h3>\n
An impending British coronation is preceded by the issuing of a coronation honours list that confers orders and honours on notable members of society. It\u2019s a tradition that\u2019s been in place for 200 years, since George IV<\/a> further endowed his already lavish coronation in 1821 with bestowing the titles. As with royal birthday honours, the list is drawn up by the prime minister of the day \u2013 and not always to the monarch\u2019s complete satisfaction. Indeed, George blocked some of the recommendations of the Earl of Liverpool after growing disgruntled at the prime minister\u2019s assumption that the king would merely rubber stamp the nominations without scrutiny.<\/p>\n
At the age of 74, Charles III will be the oldest British monarch to be the subject of a coronation, a scenario that\u2019s in marked contrast to the experience of Henry VI, who had yet to reach his first birthday when he succeeded <\/blockquote> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>
I\u2026 is for infant<\/h3>\n
At the age of 74, Charles III will be the oldest British monarch to be the subject of a coronation, a scenario that\u2019s in marked contrast to the experience of Henry VI<\/a>. Henry had yet to reach his first birthday when he succeeded both his father, Henry V<\/a>, as English king and his maternal grandfather, Charles VI, as French monarch. It wasn\u2019t until he was seven years old that he had a coronation at Westminster Abbey, and two years later, just after turning 10, he was crowned in Paris in an attempt to delegitimise the claim to the French throne of Charles VII.<\/p>\n
- Read more | The miraculous afterlife of Henry VI<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Henry VI inherited the thrones of both England and France before the age of one, but he wasn\u2019t crowned until several years later (Image by Niday Picture Library \/ Alamy Stock Photo)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n J\u2026 is for jewels<\/h3>\n
The coronation of the monarch is, of course, illuminated by the Crown Jewels<\/a> worn and held by the new king or queen. Aside from the Sovereign\u2019s Orb, which is placed in the monarch\u2019s right hand during the service, and the Sovereign\u2019s Sceptre, the \u2013 erm \u2013 crowning glory is the headwear. St Edward\u2019s Crown was made in 1661 for the coronation of Charles II<\/a> after the original crown was melted down after the abolition of the monarchy 12 years earlier. But it\u2019s not the only crown worn on the day. The monarch leaves Westminster Abbey with the Imperial State Crown on their head instead. Lighter than St Edward\u2019s Crown, it is still encrusted with 2,901 precious stones.<\/p>\n
- Read more | What happened to the Crown Jewels during the Second World War?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
K\u2026 is for King Misuzulu<\/h3>\n
When he was crowned Zulu king in 2022, Misuzulu ka Zwelithini was the first to enjoy a coronation in South Africa\u2019s post-apartheid era. He succeeded his father, King Goodwill Zwelithini, who had been the longest-serving Zulu king in history, having taken to the throne back in 1971. The then white-minority government had expected Goodwill to wear western clothing at his coronation, to which he complied, albeit with the inclusion of a leopard skin sash. By contrast, in the age of the republic, King Misuzulu attended his own coronation in exclusively traditional Zulu clothing.<\/p>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Misuzulu ka Zwelithini formally received the Zulu crown in 2022 (Photo by Darren Stewart\/Gallo Images via Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n L\u2026 is for locked out<\/h3>\n
When a married British king is crowned, he is always accompanied by his queen consort. Well, almost always. In 1821, George IV didn\u2019t just choose to go solo at his coronation, but he actively barred his queen consort, Caroline of Brunswick, from the ceremony, having her locked out of Westminster Abbey. The couple had formally separated a year after their wedding in 1795 and relations between them were so acrimonious that George didn\u2019t even inform Caroline of the death of their only daughter, Princess Charlotte, in childbirth. On the day of the coronation three and a half years later, Caroline attempted to enter the abbey via various entrances, but was rebuffed each time. She died less than three weeks later.<\/p>\n
George IV barred his queen consort, Caroline of Brunswick, from the ceremony, having her locked out of Westminster Abbey. Caroline attempted to enter the abbey via various entrances, but was rebuffed each time <\/blockquote> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>
M\u2026 is for meals<\/h3>\n
Between 1189 and 1821, it was customary for a coronation banquet to be held after the ceremony, usually in nearby Westminster Hall. The newly crowned monarch would, of course, be the guest of honour, with large numbers of dignitaries also attending the feast, but William IV<\/a> abandoned the tradition in 1830, believing it to be an unjustified expenditure, and it has never been held since. However, food would enjoy a connection with a coronation when, in 1953, coronation chicken<\/a> \u2013 a dish of chicken in a creamy, curry flavoured sauce \u2013 was created by two London chefs in honour of Elizabeth II\u2019s crowning.<\/p>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Coronation chicken was invented by chefs Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume to celebrate the crowning of Elizabeth II (Photo by bhofack2 \/ Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n N\u2026 is for new era<\/h3>\n
The crowning of Mary I<\/a> in 1553 was the last English coronation to be held as an exclusively Catholic service. When her half sister Elizabeth\u00a0succeeded her five years later, the younger sibling\u2019s coronation signalled her intent to forge ahead with the Protestant Reformation<\/a> that Mary\u2019s reign had attempted to reverse.<\/p>\n
- Read more | What happened to the Crown Jewels during the Second World War?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
- Read more | The miraculous afterlife of Henry VI<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
- Read more | Becoming Queen: Elizabeth II\u2019s coronation<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
- On the podcast | Alexander Larman and Dan Jones discuss Edward VIII\u2019s relationship with Wallis Simpson and how it led to the British king\u2019s abdication<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
- Read more | Who is Britain\u2019s greatest monarch?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
- Read more | Buckingham Palace\u2019s balcony: a focal point for national celebration<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>
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