What was the Queen's Coronation?

A Princess becomes a Queen

• On 2 June 1953 Princess Elizabeth was crowned Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Abbey in London. This is called a Coronation.

• Queen Elizabeth was 26 years old.

• In this ceremony the Queen became head of state of the United Kingdom, head of the Church of England and head of the Armed Forces.

• The Queen's father King George VI was crowned in 1937. The Queen's son King Charles III was crowned in 2023.

What happened that day?

• The Queen and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh were driven from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey in a gold coach.
• Queen Elizabeth was crowned in St Edward’s Chair, made in 1300 for King Edward I.
• The St Edward’s Crown,was placed on the Queen’s head during the coronation. It is made of solid gold.
• More than 8,000 guests were at the ceremony.

Did you know?

• It was the first coronation to be on television. 27 million people in the UK watched in on TV.
• It was the first time more people watched a TV broadcast, rather than listen to it on the radio.
• 3 million people lined the streets in London to watch the procession.

Activity: The coronation broadcast

Watch this BBC News clip of the Coronation in 1953 and how sixty years later the film footage was restored to make it better quality.

• Can you write down three interesting facts from this clip that you might share at school?