Celebrates the Platinum Jubilee for 2022 Queen Elizabeth II70 years on the throne, with the monarch first taking the royal title back in 1952. However, Elizabeth was crowned only the following year in a complex coronation ceremony. Here’s everything you need to know about the historic event.
Related: Queen Elizabeth’s sister, the late Princess Margaret – answer all your questions!
When was the coronation of Queen Elizabeth?
The coronation of Queen Elizabeth took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London, England. She was 26 at the time.
How long after the death of King George was the coronation of Queen Elizabeth?
After Elizabeth’s father, King George VIdied February 6, 1952, Elizabeth joined the throne of England the same day, but she was crowned only about 16 months later.
Queen Elizabeth II after her coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey, London. (Photo by Hulton Archive / Getty Images)
Archive of Hulton / Getty Images
Related: Queen of the Ages! How old was Queen Elizabeth when she took the throne?
Why did Winston Churchill postpone the coronation of Queen Elizabeth?
In the biographical drama of Netflix The crowna plot point at the beginning of the show depicts Sir Winston Churchillplayed by John Lithgowpushing Elizabeth (Claire Foy) to postpone her coronation for political reasons.
Although the actual coronation seems to have been delayed, this is not exactly true. Elizabeth was officially crowned only 16 months after her father’s death due to the tradition of when to celebrate after the death of a monarch.
According to Royal CentralThe 16 months allowed the throne to plan the ceremony, while waiting for the right time to pay homage to the late King George VI.
(scroll to keep reading)
What did Queen Elizabeth wear for her coronation?
Elizabeth had a special dress made by a royal couturier Norman Hartnell for the event. According to the National Gallery of Australia, the dress was commissioned in October 1952 and Hartnell offered the Queen eight designs, until they eventually worked together on the ninth and final design.
The dress included many emblems representative of the United Kingdom at the time, including “the Tudor rose of England, the Scottish thorn, the Welsh leek and the shamrock of Ireland, complemented by Australian knit, maple leaf of Canada, new Zealand fern, Proteus of South Africa, pearl lotus flower for India, second opalescent lotus flower for Ceylon and Pakistani wheat, cotton and jute.
Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh on the day of their coronation, Buckingham Palace, 1953 (Color black and white print). Unknown artist. (Photo by The Print Collector / Getty Images)
Print Collector / Getty Images
Elizabeth’s coronation dress was white, with short sleeves and satin, while the robe she wore during the ceremony was made of silk and velvet in purple, the historic color of royalty. With a length of more than 6.5 meters (about 21 feet), the robe is embroidered with olive branches and wheat ears with gold thread, as reported Harper’s Bazaar. The entire ensemble will be on display at Windsor Castle in honor of the platinum anniversary.
What was unique about Queen Elizabeth’s coronation?
One of the main features of Elizabeth’s coronation that made it so revolutionary was the fact that it was the first coronation to be televised. According to Good housekeeping, over 27 million people took part in the event. Churchill was one of the people against it BBC reports that he is particularly appalled by the idea of cameras at the historic and religious site of Westminster Abbey.
Related: When Queen Elizabeth Meets Jackie Kennedy – The Story of Two Icons and Their Intricate Relationship
Did the late Prince Philip really plan the coronation of Queen Elizabeth?
While this cannot be said Prince Philip planned the whole ceremony of Elizabeth’s coronation, he really had a hand in the event. According to Good housekeepingElizabeth made Philip chairman of his coronation committee, and he was the first to propose the event be televised.
Did Prince Philip kiss Queen Elizabeth at her coronation?
Yes, Prince Philip kissed Queen Elizabeth at her coronation during the ceremony. The Daily Mail shared a video of the meeting from the TV event as Philip approached Elizabeth adorned on her throne to swear allegiance to her before giving her a brief kiss. According to expressthis was definitely not the script, and Philip opposed the tradition with this action.
Then learn all about Queen Elizabeth’s grandchildren!