When King George VI died on Feb. 6, 1952, his oldest daughter, 25-year-old Princess Elizabeth, acceded to the throne. Within her first year as queen, she demonstrated a poise and command that belied her age. On June 2, 1953, the first-ever televised coronation of a British monarch would stir even more global fascination with the young regent. What was it about Queen Elizabeth II — the circumstances in which she came to power, her youth, her beauty, her marriage to a handsome prince, and her longevity — or just the fact that she had been an omnipresent media presence throughout her reign — that made her so enduring? And in what ways did the coronation of her son, King Charles III, on May 6, 2023, evoke her memory? The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II reflects on the day in which she became one of the world’s most admired figures, and looks back at the photos that made her coronation so memorable.
Introduction
From ROYALTY To CELEBRITY • The future queen insisted on a televised coronation and that a photographer known for capturing film stars take her official portrait. Those choices would make her a star.
Becoming the VOICE of a NATION • Although she knew she would be obliged to follow in her father’s footsteps one day, Elizabeth’s arc would bend forever from princess to queen on Feb. 6, 1952.
The PROCESSION • Crowds lined the streets of London waiting for the event of their lifetimes.
POMP and PAGEANTRY • From garments to garlands, the coronation was an elaborate production steeped in tradition.
The GUEST LIST • Immediate family and very, very VIPs became up-close witnesses to the start of Elizabeth’s transformative rule.
A PIECE of HISTORY • Magazines, mugs and glowing light plugs – if something could be made into a coronation souvenir, it was.
The CORONATION of a KING • Charles III, reckoning with a changed appetite for the monarchy, holds a subdued ceremony for his solemn, yet celebratory, occasion.
The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
PHOTO CREDITS