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| 1953, Queen Elizabeth II Coronation |
This is one of the stamps of Queen Elizabeth II Coronation
- Motive: Queen Elizabeth II Coronation
- Year: 1953
- Text: 2½ D POSTAGE REVENUE
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- Condition: Ø = used/cancelled
- Keywords: Queen Elizabeth II Coronation UK 2½ d Bright Red 1953
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Preparations
For the one-day coronation ceremony, 16 months of preparation took place, with the first meeting of the Coronation Commission taking place in April 1952,[1] under the chairmanship of the Queen's husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.[2] Though Elizabeth's grandmother Queen Mary died on 24 March, the dowager Queen had stated in her will that her death should not affect the planning of the coronation, and the event went ahead as scheduled.[3]
Norman Hartnell was commissioned by the Queen to design the outfits for all the members of the Royal Family and especially the dress Elizabeth would wear at the coronation; Hartnell's design for the latter evolved through nine proposals, the final reached by his own research as well as numerous personal meetings with the Queen. What resulted was a white silk dress embroidered with the floral emblems of the countries of the Commonwealth at the time: the Tudor rose of England, the Scotsthistle, the Welsh leek, Irish shamrock for Northern Ireland, the wattle of Australia, the maple leaf of Canada, the New Zealand fern, South Africa's protea, two lotus flowers for India and Ceylon, and Pakistan's wheat, cotton, and jute; unknown to the Queen at the time of the gown's delivery, though, was the unique four-leaf clover embroidered on the dress' left side, where Elizabeth's hand would touch throughout the day.[4][5]
Elizabeth, meanwhile, rehearsed for the upcoming day with her maids of honour, a sheet used in place of the velvet train and an arrangement of chairs standing in for the carriage. So that she could become accustomed to its feel and weight, the Queen also wore the Imperial State Crown while she went about her daily business, sporting it at her desk, at tea, and while reading the newspaper.[4] Elizabeth took part in two full rehearsals at Westminster Abbey, on 22 and 29 May,[6] though other sources assert that the Queen attended either "several" rehearsals or one.[7][8] Typically, the Duchess of Norfolk stood in for the Queen at rehearsals.
The event
The Coronation ceremony of Elizabeth II followed a similar pattern to the coronations of the kings and queens before her, being held in Westminster Abbey, and involving the peerage and clergy. However, for the new Queen, several parts of the ceremony were markedly different. The coronation of the Queen was the first ever to be televised (although the BBC Television Service had covered part of the procession from Westminster Abbey after her father's coronation in 1937[9]), and was also the world's first major international event to be broadcast on television. There had been considerable debate within the British Cabinet on the subject, with Prime Minister Winston Churchill against the idea; but, Elizabeth refused her British prime minister's advice on this matter and insisted the event take place before television cameras,[10] as well as those filming with experimental 3D technology.[n 1][11]The event was filmed in colour, despite being broadcast by the BBC in black and white.[12] Millions across Britain watched the coronation live, while, to make sure Canadians could see it on the same day, RAF Canberras flew film of the ceremony across the Atlantic Ocean to be broadcast by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation,[13] the first non-stop flights between the United Kingdom and the Canadian mainland. In Goose Bay, Labrador, the film was transferred to a Royal Canadian Air Force CF-100 jet fighter for the further trip to Montreal. In all, three such voyages were made as the coronation proceeded.[14]
Procession
Guests and officials passed in a procession before approximately three million spectators gathered in the streets of London, some having camped overnight in their spot to ensure a view of the monarch,[15] and others having access to specially built stands and scaffolding along the route. For those not present to witness the event, more than 200 microphones were stationed along the path and in Westminster Abbey, with 750 commentators broadcasting descriptions in 39 languages;[14] more than twenty million viewers around the world watched the coverage.[15] Military representation from throughout the Commonwealth marched in parade prior to the Queen's arrival.
The procession included foreign royalty and heads of state riding to Westminster Abbey in various carriages, so many that volunteers ranging from wealthy businessmen to rural landowners were required to fill the insufficient ranks of regular footmen.[15] The first royal coach left Buckingham Palace and moved down The Mall, which was filled with flag-waving and cheering crowds. It was followed by the Irish State Coach carrying Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, who wore the circlet of her crown bearing the Koh-i-Noor diamond. Queen Elizabeth II proceeded through London from Buckingham Palace, through Trafalgar Square, and towards the abbey in the Gold State Coach. Attached to the shoulders of her dress, the Queen wore the Robe of State, a 5.5 metre (6 yard) long, hand woven silk velvet cloak lined with Canadian ermine that required the assistance of the Queen's maids of honour— Lady Jane Vane-Tempest-Stewart, Lady Anne Coke, Lady Moyra Hamilton, Lady Mary Baillie-Hamilton, Lady Jane Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, Lady Rosemary Spencer-Churchill, and the Duchess of Devonshire[16]— to carry.[4]
Guests
After being closed since the Queen's accession for coronation preparations, on Coronation Day, Westminster Abbey was at 6 am opened to the approximately 8,000 guests invited from across the Commonwealth of Nations;[15][17] more prominent individuals, such as members of the Queen's family and foreign royalty, the peers of the United Kingdom, heads of state, Members of Parliament from the Queen's various legislatures,[18] and the like, arrived after 8:30 am. From Canada came the Prime Minister,Louis St. Laurent, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario Louis Breithaupt and his premier, Leslie Frost, as well as Premier of Saskatchewan Tommy Douglas, Quebec Cabinet ministers Onésime Gagnon and John Samuel Bourque,[19] Mayor of TorontoAllan A. Lamport, and Chief of the Squamish Nation Joe Mathias.[14][13] Tonga's Queen Tupou III was a guest, and was noted for her cheery demeanour even while riding in an open carriage through London in the rain.[20]
Guests seated on stools were able to purchase theirs following the ceremony, with the profits going towards the cost of the coronation.[21]
Ceremony
Preceding the Queen into Westminster Abbey was St. Edward's Crown, carried into the abbey by the Lord High Steward of England, then the Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope, who was flanked by two other peers, while the Archbishops and Bishops Assistant of the Church of England, in their copes and mitres, waited outside the Great West Door for the arrival of the Queen. When this occurred at approximately 11:00 am,[4][10] Elizabeth found that the friction between her robes and the carpet caused her difficulty moving forward, and she said to the Archbishop of Canterbury,Geoffrey Fisher, "get me started!"[10] Once going, the procession, which included the various High Commissioners of the Commonwealth carrying banners bearing the shields of the coats of arms of their respective nations,[22] moved inside the abbey, up the central aisle and through the choir to the stage, as the choirs sang I was glad, an imperial setting of Psalm 122, vv. 1–3, 6, and 7 by Sir Hubert Parry, and the Queen's Scholars of Westminster School proclaimed, "Vivat Regina! Vivat Regina Elizabetha! Vivat! Vivat! Vivat!"[23] As Elizabeth prayed at and then sat herself on the Chair of Estate to the south of the altar, the Bishops carried in the religious paraphernalia— the bible,paten, and chalice— and the peers holding the coronation regalia handed it over to the Archbishop of Canterbury, who, in turn, passed them to the Dean of Westminster, Alan Campbell Don, to be placed on the altar.[24]
After the Queen moved to stand before King Edward's Chair (Coronation Chair), she turned, following as Fisher, along with the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain (the Viscount Simonds), Lord Great Chamberlain of England (the Earl of Ancaster), Lord High Constable of England (the Viscount Alanbrooke), and Earl Marshal of the United Kingdom (the Duke of Norfolk), all led by the Garter Principal King of Arms (George Bellew), asked the audience in each direction of the compass separately: "Sirs, I here present unto you Queen Elizabeth, your undoubted Queen: wherefore all you who are come this day to do your homage and service, are you willing to do the same?" The crowd would reply "God save Queen Elizabeth," every time,[25] to each of which the Queen would curtsey in return.[22]
Seated again on the Chair of Estate, Elizabeth then took the Coronation Oath as administered by the Archbishop of Canterbury. In the lengthy oath, the Queen swore to govern each of her countries according to their respective laws and customs, to mete out law and justice with mercy, to uphold Protestantism in the United Kingdom and protect the Church of England and preserve its bishops and clergy. She proceeded to the altar where she stated "The things which I have here promised, I will perform, and keep. So help me God," before kissing the Bible and putting the royal sign-manual to the oath as the Bible was returned to the Dean of Westminster.[26] From him the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, James Pitt-Watson, took the Bible and presented it to the Queen again, saying "to keep your Majesty ever mindful of the law and the Gospel of God... we present you with this Book"; Elizabeth returned the book to Pitt-Watson, who placed it back with the Dean of Westminster.[27]
The communion service was then conducted, involving prayers by both the clergy and Elizabeth, Fisher asking "O God... Grant unto this thy servant Elizabeth, our Queen, the spirit of wisdom and government, that being devoted unto thee with her whole heart, she may so wisely govern, that in her time thy Church may be in safety, and Christian devotion may continue in peace," before reading various excerpts from the First Epistle of Peter, Psalms, and the Gospel of Matthew.[28] Elizabeth was then anointed as the assembly sang "Zadok the Priest"; the Queen's jewellery and crimson cape was removed by the Earl of Ancaster and the Mistress of the Robes,[4] the Duchess of Devonshire, and, wearing only a simple, white linen dress also designed by Hartnell to completely cover the coronation gown, she moved to be seated in the Coronation Chair. There, Fisher, assisted by Don, made a cross on the Queen's forehead with holy oilmade from the same base as that which had been used in the coronation of her father.[10] As this segment of the ceremony was considered absolutely sacrosanct, it was concealed from the view of the television cameras by a silk canopy held above the Queen by four Knights of the Garter. When this part of the coronation was complete, and the canopy removed, Don and the Duchess of Devonshire placed on the monarch the Colobium Sindonis and Supertunica.[29]
From the altar, the Dean of Westminster passed to the Lord Great Chamberlain thespurs, which were presented to the Queen and then placed back on the altar. The Sword of State was then handed to Elizabeth, who, after a prayer was uttered by Fisher, placed it herself on the altar, and the peer who had been previously holding it took it back again after paying a sum of 100 shillings.[30] The Queen was then invested with the Armills (bracelets), Stole Royal, Robe Royal, and the Sovereign's Orb, followed by the Queen's Ring, the Sceptre with the Cross, and the Sceptre with the Dove. With the first two items on and in her right hand and the latter in her left, Queen Elizabeth was crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury, with the crowd shouting "God save the Queen!" at the exact moment St. Edward's Crown touched the monarch's head. The princes and peers gathered then put on their coronets and a 21-gun salute was fired from the Tower of London.[31]
With the benediction read, Elizabeth moved to the throne and the Archbishop of Canterbury and all the Bishops offered to her their fealty, after which, while the choir sang, the peers of the United Kingdom— led by the royal peers: the Queen's husband;Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester; and Prince Edward, Duke of Kent— each proceeded, in order of precedence, to pay their personal homage and allegiance to Elizabeth. When the last baron had completed this task, the assembly shouted "God save Queen Elizabeth. Long live Queen Elizabeth. May the Queen live for ever!"[32]Having removed all her royal regalia, Elizabeth kneeled and took the communion, including a general confession and absolution, and, along with the audience, recited the Lord's Prayer.[33]
Now wearing the Imperial State Crown and holding the Sceptre with the Cross and the Orb, and as the gathered guests sang "God Save the Queen", Elizabeth left Westminster Abbey through the nave and apse, out the Great West Door, followed by members of the Royal Family, the clergy, her prime ministers, etc. Then, transported back to Buckingham Palace in the Gold State Coach, with an escort of thousands of military personnel from around the Commonwealth, the Queen appeared on the balcony of the Centre Room before a gathered crowd as a flypast went overhead.
Music
Although it had been assumed by many that the Master of the Queen's Musick, Arnold Bax, would be the director of music for the coronation, it was decided that it would be better to appoint the organist and master of the choristers at the abbey, William McKie, who had been in charge of music at the royal wedding in 1947. McKie convened an advisory committee with Arnold Bax and Sir Ernest Bullock, who had directed the music for the previous coronation.[34]
When it came to choosing the music, tradition demanded that Handel's "Zadok the Priest" and Parry's "I was glad" were included amongst the anthems. Other choral works included were the 16th century "Rejoice in the Lord alway" and Samuel Sebastian Wesley's "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace". Another tradition was that new work be commissioned from the leading composers of the day; Ralph Vaughan-Williams composed a new motet "O Taste and See", William Walton composed a setting for the "Te Deum", and the Canadian composer Healy Willan wrote an anthem "O Lord our Governor".[35] Four new orchestral pieces were planned; Arthur Bliss composed "Processional"; William Walton, "Orb and Sceptre"; and Arnold Bax, "Coronation March". Benjamin Britten had agreed to compose a piece, but he caught influenza and then had to deal with flooding at Aldeburgh, so nothing was forthcoming. Edward Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 in D" was played immediately before Bax's march at the end of the ceremony.[36] An innovation, at the suggestion of Vaughan-Williams, was the inclusion of a hymn that the congregation were able to participate in. This proved controversial and wasn't included in the programme until the Queen had been consulted and found to be in favour; Vaughan-Williams wrote an elaborate arrangement of the traditional Scottish metrical psalm, "Old 100th", which included military trumpet fanfares.[37]
The choir for the coronation was a combination of the choirs of Westminster Abbey, Saint Paul's Cathedral, the Chapel Royal, andSaint George's Chapel, Windsor. The final complement of choristers comprised 182 trebles, 37 male altos, 62 tenors, and 67basses. Together with a full orchestra, the total number of musicians was 480.[38]
Celebrations, monuments, and media
All across the Queen's realms, the rest of the Commonwealth, and in other parts of the world, coronation celebrations were held. In London, the Queen hosted a coronation luncheon, for which the recipe Coronation chicken was devised,[39] and a fireworks show was mounted on Victoria Embankment.[15] Further, street parties were mounted all over the United Kingdom and the Coronation Cup football tournament was held at Hampden Park, Glasgow in May to mark the coronation.[10] Two weeks before the coronation, the children's literary magazine Collins Magazine rebranded itself as The Young Elizabethan.[40]
On the Korean Peninsula, Canadian soldiers serving in the Korean War acknowledged the day by firing blue, red, and white coloured smoke shells at the enemy and drank rum rations in observance. In the United States, coronation parties were mounted, one in New York City attended by the Queen's uncle and aunt, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
In Canada, military tattoos, horse races, parades, and fireworks displays were mounted. The Governor General of Canada, Vincent Massey, presided over celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, where the Queen's coronation speech was broadcast and her personal royal standard flown from the Peace Tower.[41] In Newfoundland, 90,000 boxes of candy were given to children, some getting theirs delivered by Royal Canadian Air Force drops, and in Quebec, 400,000 people turned out in Montreal, some 100,000 at Jeanne-Mance Park alone. A multicultural show was put on at Exhibition Place inToronto, square dances and exhibitions took place in the prairie provinces, and, inVancouver, the Chinese community performed a public lion dance.[42] The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal was presented to thousands of recipients throughout the Queen's countries, and in Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the UK, commemorative coins were issued.[43]
As with the coronation of George VI, acorns shed from oaks in Windsor Great Park, around Windsor Castle, were shipped around the Commonwealth and planted in parks, schoolyards, cemeteries, and private yards to grow into what are known as Royal Oaksor Coronation Oaks.[44]
News that Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay had reached the summit of Mount Everest arrived in Britain on Elizabeth's coronation day; the New Zealand, American and British media dubbed it "a coronation gift for the new Queen".[45]
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