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| Source: The New York Times |
On the 2nd of June, 1953, Queen Elizabeth II sat on the Coronation Chair in Westminster Abbey awaiting the Archbishop of Canterbury to place the royal sceptres into her hands, anoint her with holy oil, and place the St. Edward's crown on her head. By this point, the Queen had been the United Kingdom's monarch for over a year, having taken on the role on the 6th of February, 1952.
When her father, King George VI, died, the then-Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, commemorated the late king, while inspiring hope in the new queen: "Now that we have the second Queen Elizabeth, also ascending the Throne in her twenty-sixth year, our thoughts are carried back nearly four hundred years to the magnificent figure who presided over and, in many ways, embodied and inspired the grandeur and genius of the Elizabethan age." There was no doubt that the new queen's reign would be memorable, but she would have the heavy burden of not only carrying out her duty as the United Kingdom's sovereign, but as one of the very few queens to hold her title in her own right. Those who have had such a privilege have shaped the country in significant ways, and now this was almost an expectation. The people were glad to see a new Queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, but they had high hopes.
Unfortunately for the young queen, she had a tumultuous task ahead of her. The British Empire was crumbling. The working classes were gaining more prominence. While the idea of a female monarch in a new world was enticing to the masses, the Queen could only maintain that popularity for so long before people would lose interest. On the other hand, she still had her coronation to look forward to. In the advent of new media, it was almost to be expected that the coronation would be televised. King George's coronation only allowed for the BBC to be present outside of Westminster Abbey; this was the first time the BBC would be allowed to set the coronation for public viewing. The people would finally have a proper glimpse of the mystery of the monarchy.
No expense was spared for the coronation. It was a once-in-a-lifetime event, and the public would get to see almost everything. This meant the Queen's gown needed to be stunning. She had to look the part. Norman Hartnell was commissioned for the task. Having designed a number of royal outfits, including the Queen's wedding dress, he was trusted by the Royal Family to do the job well. The Queen appeared in a white silk gown, with the floral emblems of the countries of the Commonwealth embedded onto it. When the anointing ceremony was to be conducted, a plain, white linen dress - also designed by Hartnell - was worn to cover her coronation gown as a sign of humility. Hartnell didn't just design her gowns; he designed the outfits for all members of the royal family, and for all major royal ladies in attendance.
The ceremony itself was grand, but the most iconic moment is the anointing. Interestingly, this was the only moment that was not televised, at the Queen's request. This is the most sacred moment of the coronation, one that only those who had a full view of would be able to witness. I remember this scene so clearly in Netflix's The Crown, and Alex Jenkins' character, the Duke of Windsor, describes so poignantly: "Oils and oaths. Orbs and sceptres. Symbol upon symbol. An unfathomable web of arcane mystery and liturgy, blurring so many lines no clergyman or historian or lawyer could ever untangle any of it...It's perfectly sane. Who wants transparency when you can have magic? Who wants prose when you can have poetry? Pull away the veil and what are you left with? An ordinary young woman of modest ability and little imagination. But wrap her up like this, anoint her with oil, and hey presto! What do you have? A goddess." Many will no doubt question why such a key moment in the coronation would be shielded from view. However, it is because it has been kept from the public that the coronation ceremony as a whole manages to maintain a certain level of mystery. If the public got to see everything, then there wouldn't be as much intrigue with the Royal Family. Why else do we get excited with the slightest bit of gossip with the Royal Family? Because we are separate from them. If we knew everything about their life, from the moment they woke to the moment they slept, we wouldn't care after a while.
Will we hear the booming voices of Zadok the Priest anytime soon? I doubt it. Just a few days ago, the beloved Queen rode on her horse with as much capability as a young adult despite her being 94 years old. Is that a woman who has given into social conventions of the ageing population? Absolutely not. For all we know, she's decided to be immortal. One thing's for certain, the great woman will go down in history as one of the world's most celebrated women.
When her father, King George VI, died, the then-Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, commemorated the late king, while inspiring hope in the new queen: "Now that we have the second Queen Elizabeth, also ascending the Throne in her twenty-sixth year, our thoughts are carried back nearly four hundred years to the magnificent figure who presided over and, in many ways, embodied and inspired the grandeur and genius of the Elizabethan age." There was no doubt that the new queen's reign would be memorable, but she would have the heavy burden of not only carrying out her duty as the United Kingdom's sovereign, but as one of the very few queens to hold her title in her own right. Those who have had such a privilege have shaped the country in significant ways, and now this was almost an expectation. The people were glad to see a new Queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, but they had high hopes.
Unfortunately for the young queen, she had a tumultuous task ahead of her. The British Empire was crumbling. The working classes were gaining more prominence. While the idea of a female monarch in a new world was enticing to the masses, the Queen could only maintain that popularity for so long before people would lose interest. On the other hand, she still had her coronation to look forward to. In the advent of new media, it was almost to be expected that the coronation would be televised. King George's coronation only allowed for the BBC to be present outside of Westminster Abbey; this was the first time the BBC would be allowed to set the coronation for public viewing. The people would finally have a proper glimpse of the mystery of the monarchy.
No expense was spared for the coronation. It was a once-in-a-lifetime event, and the public would get to see almost everything. This meant the Queen's gown needed to be stunning. She had to look the part. Norman Hartnell was commissioned for the task. Having designed a number of royal outfits, including the Queen's wedding dress, he was trusted by the Royal Family to do the job well. The Queen appeared in a white silk gown, with the floral emblems of the countries of the Commonwealth embedded onto it. When the anointing ceremony was to be conducted, a plain, white linen dress - also designed by Hartnell - was worn to cover her coronation gown as a sign of humility. Hartnell didn't just design her gowns; he designed the outfits for all members of the royal family, and for all major royal ladies in attendance.
The ceremony itself was grand, but the most iconic moment is the anointing. Interestingly, this was the only moment that was not televised, at the Queen's request. This is the most sacred moment of the coronation, one that only those who had a full view of would be able to witness. I remember this scene so clearly in Netflix's The Crown, and Alex Jenkins' character, the Duke of Windsor, describes so poignantly: "Oils and oaths. Orbs and sceptres. Symbol upon symbol. An unfathomable web of arcane mystery and liturgy, blurring so many lines no clergyman or historian or lawyer could ever untangle any of it...It's perfectly sane. Who wants transparency when you can have magic? Who wants prose when you can have poetry? Pull away the veil and what are you left with? An ordinary young woman of modest ability and little imagination. But wrap her up like this, anoint her with oil, and hey presto! What do you have? A goddess." Many will no doubt question why such a key moment in the coronation would be shielded from view. However, it is because it has been kept from the public that the coronation ceremony as a whole manages to maintain a certain level of mystery. If the public got to see everything, then there wouldn't be as much intrigue with the Royal Family. Why else do we get excited with the slightest bit of gossip with the Royal Family? Because we are separate from them. If we knew everything about their life, from the moment they woke to the moment they slept, we wouldn't care after a while.
Will we hear the booming voices of Zadok the Priest anytime soon? I doubt it. Just a few days ago, the beloved Queen rode on her horse with as much capability as a young adult despite her being 94 years old. Is that a woman who has given into social conventions of the ageing population? Absolutely not. For all we know, she's decided to be immortal. One thing's for certain, the great woman will go down in history as one of the world's most celebrated women.
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