Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation: 7 Fast Facts
On June 2, 1953, Princess Elizabeth II was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom, 16 months after she took the throne due to her father’s death.
She was only 27 years old at the time.
Here are some little-known and noteworthy facts about Queen Elizabeth II on that day in history.
Fact 1: Coverage was a breakthrough in television history.
First of all, it was the first service to be televised, and the world’s first major international event broadcast on television. As a result, an estimated 27 million people in the United Kingdom watched the ceremony.
Fact 2: The Queen has worn her Coronation dress six times since that date.
The dress was made of satin, like her wedding dress. It included special embroidered detailing with the floral emblems of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth Nations in gold and silver threads.
Fact 3: Prince Charles witnessed his mother’s Coronation.
He was the first child to witness his mother’s coronation as Sovereign. His younger sister, Princess Anne, was considered too young and did not attend the ceremony.
Prince Charles was invited with a special hand-painted invitation.
Fact 4: “The Wedding Ring of England” was placed on her fourth finger.
The Coronation ring, known as “The Wedding Ring of England” has been worn at every coronation since the Coronation of King William IV in 1831, except one.
Queen Victoria’s fingers were too small so the ring could not be made small enough in size. An alternate was created for her, however.
Fact 5: It was pouring down rain on the day of the Queen’s Coronation.
The date of June 2 was picked based on meteorologists predictions to have the best weather. Yet, it rained.
Despite the weather, crowds still flocked to Westminster Abbey because they wanted to get a glimpse of the Queen.
Fact 6: Elizabeth actually ascended to the throne over a year prior to her Coronation.
King George VI passed away on Feb. 6, 1952. As a result, Princess Elizabeth was immediately ascended to the throne. Consequently, the news was broken to her by her husband, Prince Philip, after returning from a tour of Australia and New Zealand.
Fact 7: There were two crowns used on that day for the Queen.
St. Edward’s Crown was used at the moment of coronation. The current version of the crown was made in 1661 and weighs nearly 5 pounds.
As a result, Queen Elizabeth II was said to have switched to the Imperial State Crown, which is lighter weight, following the ceremony.
Furthermore, the Queen still wears the Imperial State Crown each year when attending the Opening of Parliament Ceremony.
Queen Elizabeth II is now the longest-reigning British monarch, therefore, surpassing Queen Victoria in 2015. She was the first to ever celebrate a Sapphire Jubilee, marking her 65 years on the throne in 2018.
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