Queen Elizabeth Found One Aspect of Her Coronation 'Horrible'
Near the beginning of Queen Elizabeth's historic 70-year reign, she took part in her coronation on June 2, 1953—72 years ago.
Despite all the pomp and ceremony, the Queen found one aspect of her coronation 'horrible.'
The three-hour ceremony had over 8,000 guests in attendance, including a 4-year-old Prince Charles.Seventy-two years ago yesterday—on June 2, 1953—Queen Elizabeth's coronation took place just over a year after her historic 70-year reign began on February 6, 1952 and the death of her beloved father, King George VI.
The next coronation didn't take place until May 6, 2023—almost exactly 70 years later—when the late Queen's son King Charles took the throne. Queen Elizabeth's own coronation was significant as it was the first one to be televised, but the monarch apparently found one aspect of her big day to be 'horrible,' according to Marie Claire.
In the BBC 2018 documentary The Coronation, none other than the Queen herself spoke about the event—after all, who better to ask? As she arrived at Westminster Abbey that day in the Gold State Coach, the Queen looked every bit the part—but the reality of riding in the coach was 'horrible,' the Queen said. 'It's not meant for traveling in at all. I mean, it's only sprung on leather. Not very comfortable.'
It wasn't a short ride in the Gold State Coach, either, as the Queen said she went 'Halfway around London.'
'It can only go at a walking pace,' she said in the documentary. 'The horses couldn't possibly go any faster. It's so heavy.'
Per Marie Claire, the Gold State Coach was built as far back as 1762, designed by William Chambers and constructed by coachmaker Samuel Butler. Since 1831, the coach has been used at every coronation, including King Charles' two years ago.
The coach was pulled by eight grey gelding horses at Queen Elizabeth's coronation, and on that particular June day, the late Queen's coronation was 'unseasonably cold and wet,' so staffers apparently 'strapped a hot water bottle under the seat' to keep the Queen warm—no doubt only further adding to how uncomfortable the ride was.
There were 8,000 guests in attendance at Queen Elizabeth's three-hour coronation, including a 4-year-old Prince Charles—'the first heir apparent of a Queen to attend a coronation,' according to People. The Queen was crowned with the extremely heavy St. Edward's Crown—the same crown her father was crowned with 16 years before her. The crown weighs in at nearly five pounds—which doesn't sound heavy until you think of it balancing atop your head.
'The ceremonies you have seen today are ancient, and some of their origins are veiled in the mists of the past,' the Queen said on that day. 'But their spirit and their meaning shine through the ages, never, perhaps, more brightly than now. I have in sincerity pledged myself to your service, as so many of you are pledged to mine. Throughout all my life and with all my heart I shall strive to be worthy of your trust.'
Read the original article on InStyle
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Pregnant Meghan Markle Drops Low in 'Baby Mama Dance' Hospital Video with Prince Harry to Induce Labor with Princess Lilibet
Meghan Markle celebrated her daughter Princess Lilibet's fourth birthday by sharing a throwback photo of the viral dance trend she did with Prince Harry to induce labor with Lilibet In the video, Meghan held her baby bump as she shook her hips, raised her hands in the air and spun around "When spicy food, all that walking, and acupuncture didn't work - there was only one thing left to do!" Meghan joked on Instagram Meghan Markle shared a glimpse into a candid moment while going into labor with her daughter, Princess Lilibet, in honor of her fourth birthday on Wednesday, June 4. In the clip, filmed in a hospital labor and delivery room, Meghan, 43, dances in a black dress while cradling her baby bump while Starrkeisha's "The Baby Momma Dance" songplays in the background — the same song that fueled a viral social media dance trend at the time. Seconds later, Prince Harry, 40, enters the frame and begins to dance with his wife. Meghan shakes her hips in the clip, puts her arms in the air and spins while Harry shows off his own moves, even dropping it "down low" with Meghan as the lyrics command. "Four years ago today, this also happened. Both of our children were a week past their due dates… so when spicy food, all that walking, and acupuncture didn't work - there was only one thing left to do! 😂," Meghan wrote in the caption on Instagram. While the couple looked joyful in their lighthearted video, Harry revealed harrowing details behind his daughter's birth at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in California in his 2023 memoir, Spare. The Duke of Sussex wanted to be the first person Lilibet saw when she was born, so he "went and stood beside the doctor," he wrote in his book. "We both crouched. As if about to pray. The doctor called out: The head is crowning. Crowning, I thought. Incredible." He continued, "The skin was blue. I worried the baby wasn't getting enough air. Is she choking? I looked at Meg. One more push, my love! We're so close." Harry recalled how the doctor helped guide his hands during the birth, writing that he heard "a scream, then a moment of pure liquid silence." "There was only this intense present, and then the doctor turned to me and shouted: Now!" Harry wrote. "Gently, but firmly, as I'd seen in films, I pulled our precious daughter from that world into this." Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! Before sharing the behind-the-scenes video of her labor with Lilibet, Meghan kicked off her daughter's birthday by posting some never-before-seen photos of Prince Harry and their daughter on Instagram on June 4. Meghan celebrated "the sweetest bond" between Harry and Lilibet, whom she called "Daddy's little girl and favorite adventurer." In the first photo shared by Meghan, Harry held his newborn daughter in a sweet black-and-white shot. The second image in Meghan's post showed Harry holding hands with his daughter as the two walked barefoot down a sandy road. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Halle Bailey's Travel Plans with Baby Halo Could Be Stopped by Court
In newly surfaced court documents, rapper DDG has asked the court to stop Halle Bailey from taking their 17-month-old son, Halo, out of the country. The legal move comes amid a custody and restraining order case between the former couple, who split in 2024. DDG has requested the court to block his former partner Halle Bailey from travelling abroad with their son Halo, as per new court filings. The rapper has requested an emergency hearing to prevent the Last Holiday star from taking international trips with their 17-month-old son, specifically raising concerns over an upcoming vacation to Italy. In addition to the travel restriction, DDG is seeking a domestic violence restraining order. He alleges that Bailey has shown behavior that could pose emotional and psychological harm to their child, including what he describes as 'repeated threats of self-harm.' He further argues that international travel would remove the child from the court's jurisdiction and limit access to emergency protection if needed. (via PEOPLE) DDG also claimed that Bailey has experienced emotional instability that could endanger their child's safety. In one instance, he says she took his firearm during an argument and left with it. According to his account, he later found her outside, holding the weapon. This legal filing comes shortly after Bailey was granted temporary legal and physical custody of their son, Halo, last month. At the time, she accused DDG of physically and emotionally abusing her. The court had also issued a temporary restraining order then, requiring DDG to keep a distance of at least 100 yards from both Bailey and their son. Effective until June 4, the order recently expired. Additionally, Bailey requested that DDG be denied any visitation rights unless supervised. She asked that if visitation is granted, it should be limited to once a week for six hours under professional supervision while Halo is in Los Angeles. Further, he should not be allowed to take their son outside Los Angeles County. Originally reported by Disheeta Maheshwari on ComingSoon. The post Halle Bailey's Travel Plans with Baby Halo Could Be Stopped by Court appeared first on Mandatory.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Held at gunpoint: BBC team detained by Israeli forces in southern Syria
On the morning of 9 May, I was part of a BBC Arabic team which left the Syrian capital, Damascus, for the southern province of Deraa. From there we planned to go to the frontier with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. We wanted to get close to the Syrian territory that has been seized by the Israeli military since December, when Israel's prime minister said it was taking control indefinitely of a demilitarised buffer zone and neighbouring areas following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime. We were a team of seven - myself (a British citizen), two Iraqi BBC staff, and four Syrians - three freelancers and one BBC cameraman. Israel says it struck near Syria palace over violence in Druze areas First Druze crossing in 50 years as Israel courts allies in Syria Israeli strikes in Syria a challenge to Turkey We were filming near one of the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) observation posts, close to the town of al-Rafeed, when an official from the UN told us that the Israeli side had inquired about our identity and had been informed that we were a BBC crew. We next drove north towards Quneitra city, which has been located inside the buffer zone since a 1974 disengagement agreement between Syria and Israel, which captured the Golan during the 1967 Middle East war. About 200m (660ft) away from the city, an unguarded checkpoint blocked the road. To the side of the checkpoint we spotted Merkava tanks, one of which was flying an Israeli flag. From a nearby tower, two Israeli soldiers were watching us - one of them through binoculars - and my colleague held his BBC ID up for them to see. The BBC has complained to the Israeli military about what happened next to my team, but it has not yet received a response. A minute after we started filming in the area, a white car approached from the other side of the checkpoint. Four Israeli soldiers got out of the car and surrounded us. They pointed their rifles at our heads and ordered us to place the camera on the side of the road. I tried to explain that we were a BBC crew, but things escalated unexpectedly quickly. I was able to send a message to my BBC colleagues in London saying that we had been stopped by the Israeli military before our phones and all equipment were confiscated, more Israeli soldiers arrived in a Humvee military vehicle, and our car was thoroughly searched. The soldiers escorted us through a barrier into the city of Quneitra and stopped at the crossing point that separates Quneitra from the occupied Golan. There, the soldiers began reviewing the footage as we sat in our car, while one pointed his rifle at my head from metres away. After more than two hours, one of the soldiers asked me to step out of the car and speak on a mobile phone. I didn't know who the person on the line was. He spoke broken Arabic. He asked why we were filming Israeli military positions. I told him I was a British BBC journalist and explained to him the nature of our work. I returned to my car, and the rifle was again aimed at my head. After another hour of waiting, one more vehicle arrived. A group of security personnel got out of the car carrying blindfolds and plastic zip ties and asked me to step out first. The lead officer, who spoke fluent Palestinian Arabic dialect, took me by the hand towards one of the rooms at the crossing point which were previously used by the Syrian army. The floor was strewn with broken glass and rubbish. He told me that they would treat me differently - no handcuffs, nor blindfold - unlike the rest of my team. I was in shock. I asked why they were doing this when they knew we were a BBC crew. He said he wanted to help get us out quickly and that we had to comply with their instructions. Moments later, another officer entered and told me to take off all my clothes except my underwear. I initially refused, but they insisted, and threatened me, so I complied. He inspected even inside my underwear, both front and back, searched my clothes, then told me to put them back on and started interrogating me - including personal questions about my children and their ages. When they eventually let me out of the room, I witnessed the horrific scene of my team members, tied up and blindfolded. I pleaded to the officer to release them, and he promised to do so after the interrogations. They were taken one by one to the same room for strip search and questioning. They returned with their hands still bound but not blindfolded. The team's interrogation lasted more than two hours, during which all our phones and laptops were examined, and many photos - including personal ones - were deleted. The officer threatened us with worse consequences if we approached the frontier from the Syrian side again, and said that they know everything about us and would track us down if any hidden or un-deleted photo was ever published. About seven hours after our detention - it was past 21:00 - we were taken by two vehicles, one in front of our car and the other behind us, to a rural area about 2km (1.2 miles) outside Quneitra. There, the vehicles stopped and a bag containing our phones was thrown towards us before the vehicles left. Lost in the dark with no signal, no internet and no idea where we were, we kept driving until we reached a small village. A group of children pointed us to the highway, warning that a wrong turn could draw Israeli fire. Ten tense minutes later, we found the road. Forty-five minutes after that, we were in Damascus. Israel demands complete demilitarisation of southern Syria 'We just need peace': BBC speaks to Syrians watching Israel's incursion Israel seizes Golan buffer zone after Syrian troops leave positions
