HT Archives: Queen Elizabeth II coronated in grand London ceremony
The bells of London pealed and the guns thundered to salute the crowning of Queen Elizabeth II.
A great concourse in Westminster Abbey cried 'God save the Queen' as they watched the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Geoffrey Fisher, place on her head St. Edward's Crown, the symbol of the British monarchy. Outside, beneath grey skies, the cry was taken up by millions who had watched her progress to the ancient Abbey and waited to see her emerge again as the crowned Queen.
Later, the Queen thanked her people for their ' loyalty and affection.'
She ended a worldwide broadcast on her Coronation Day with these words: 'As this day draws to its close, I know that my abiding memory of it will be not only the solemnity and beauty of the ceremony but the inspiration of your loyalty and affection.'
'I thank you from a full heart. God bless you all.'
Earlier, she pledged: 'Throughout all my life and with all my heart I shall strive to be worthy of your trust.'
A congregation of more than 7,000 waited at the Abbey since early morning for the Queen's arrival.
They heard her approach in State, heralded by a swelling roar of cheers along the route, while a massed orchestra in the Abbey played softly. Then through the west door of the Abbey along the blue carpet leading to the Coronation theatre before the altar, the stately procession began.
First came the Abbey beadle bearing his golden staff of office. Behind him came churchmen in scarlet cassocks and sombre black. Then in a great multi-coloured stream, the heralds in medieval tunics, the court officials and the standard bearers.
Slowly the colour moved across the golden carpet of the Coronation theatre in the centre of which the golden throne, upholstered in rose, stood in a raised dais.
Prime ministers of the Commonwealth stepped aside into their allotted places giving way to the Archbishops of York and Canterbury in their pointed mitres and gold-embroidered robes.
The Indian and Pakistani Prime Ministers, Mr Jawaharlal Nehru and Mr Mohammed Ali Jinnah, walked side by side in the procession into the Abbey. Behind them surrounded by heralds in bright medieval tunics came the Duke of Edinburgh, a burgundy robe trimmed with ermine billowing around his naval uniform.
Amid this rich and multi-coloured scene the Queen appeared like a gold and crystal figure, supported by her maids of honour. A bishop walked on either side. As she entered the clear voices of 40 schoolboys rang out in the cry of Vivat Regina. There was a great crash of the organ and then the 400-voice choir echoed the salute.
The Queen walked steadily, her hands clasped in front, her face tense and serious. As the cries of 'Vivat' soared upwards she seemed to tremble for a second, her hands unclasped, but quickly she clasped them again.
As she reached the Chair of Estate, her arms dropped to her side and the maids withdrew. For a moment the Queen knelt in prayer, then took her place on the chair, while the regalia was placed on the altar. The moment had come now for the recognition. Once more her maids of honour escorted her to a corner of the theatre beside the Coronation Chair. There she stood alone as the Archbishop of Canterbury declared: 'Sirs, I here present unto you Queen Elizabeth your undaunted Queen: wherefor all you who are come this day to do your homage and service. Are you willing to do the same?'
A great cry of ' God save Queen Elizabeth ' rose from the assembly, echoed twice by the Choir. Four times from each side of the theatre the Archbishop asked the question and each time the thunderous cry came back.
Then he bowed to her and she returned to the Chair of Estate.
Sitting upright in her chair the Queen next took the oath speaking her only words of the entire ceremony.
'Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the peoples of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Union of South Africa. Pakistan and Ceylon and of your possessions and other territories to any of them belonging or pertaining according to their respective laws and customs?' the Archbishop asked.
'I solemnly promise to do so,' she said in a clear voice.
Afterwards, her maids of honour gathered around and escorted her into St. Edward's Chapel to prepare for her triumphal drive through the streets of London.
As the Queen reappeared from the Chapel, arrayed now in a purple robe, crowned and carrying her sceptre in one hand and the cross-topped orb in the other, a fanfare of trumpets blared out and the Abbey rang with the national anthem: ' God save the Queen.'
The rain streamed ceaselessly down, until dignitaries riding in open carriages were so wet that they had the hoods put up, almost hiding them from view.
The Commonwealth Prime Ministers were each escorted by troops from their own countries except Mr Nehru who was escorted by British police.
India's Prime Minister, Mr Nehru, drove from Buckingham Palace to the Abbey in a Royal Clarence and a pair of horses in the carriage procession of Commonwealth Prime Ministers. He was in Indian ceremonial dress, wearing an achkan and churidar and with him was his daughter, Mrs Indira Gandhi.
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Menu हिंदी తెలుగు اردو Home Politics Economy World Security Law Science Society Culture Editor's Pick Opinion Support independent journalism. Donate Now Culture The Scaling of Kanchenjunga and What it Means to Sikkim's Culture and Autonomy Jiwan Rai 11 minutes ago On May 18 this year, an expedition team under the Har Shikhar Tiranga Mission, an initiative of the Indian Army, planted the national flag atop the Kanchenjunga peak. This has hurt the indigenous Buddhist communities of Sikkim, to whom the mountain is a deeply revered spiritual entity. Colonel Ranveer Singh Jamwal during the Kanchenjunga expedition. Photo: Facebook. Real journalism holds power accountable Since 2015, The Wire has done just that. But we can continue only with your support. Contribute now Twenty-four years ago, while the rest of India was racing to open up 18 virgin peaks and 176 lesser-known summits to foreign climbers, the Sikkim government, through notification 70/HOME/2000, imposed a ban on expeditions to its highest peak, Kanchenjunga, along with seven other peaks considered sacred by local Buddhists. This administrative decision was actually the reaffirmation of a longstanding cultural tradition of reverence. In fact, an expedition to Kangchenjunga would fall under the scope of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which prohibits any desecration of sites held sacred. When British climbers Joe Brown and George Band first successfully ascended Kangchenjunga in 1955, they voluntarily stopped just short of the summit to honour local sentiments. Their act of restraint was more than a display of mountaineering ethics. It was a profound gesture of civilisational respect. Nearly seven decades after the respectful restraint shown by climbers on Kangchenjunga, fresh reports of another summit attempt have stirred a storm of emotions among the Bhutia and Lepcha communities of Sikkim. On May 18 this year, an expedition team under the Har Shikhar Tiranga Mission, a patriotic initiative of the Indian Army executed through the National Institute of Mountaineering and Adventure Sports (NIMAS), successfully planted the national flag atop the sacred peak. The mission, led by the celebrated mountaineer Colonel Ranveer Singh Jamwal, was envisioned as a tribute to India's unity in diversity. 'This wasn't just an expedition,' Colonel Jamwal remarked. 'It was a tribute to every corner of India. From the dense forests of the Northeast to the icy ramparts of Kanchenjunga, our Tiranga has now flown atop every state's highest point. I'm proud of the team and honoured to lead a mission that reflects the unity and diversity of our great nation.' Sacred However, beneath the wave of patriotic celebrations, are the hurt religious sentiments and cultural traditions of the indigenous Buddhist communities of Sikkim. To them Kanchenjunga is not merely a geographic pinnacle, it is a deeply revered spiritual entity. Its summit is considered sacred and has traditionally been off-limits to human trespass. This restriction is not unique to Sikkim; similar bans exist elsewhere. In China, Mount Kailash remains unclimbed due to its profound spiritual significance, while in Nepal, climbing Machapuchare and Khumbila is prohibited out of respect for their sacred status among the Gurung and Sherpa communities. The recent ascent has reignited a long-standing and sensitive debate between the fervour of national pride and religious belief. In this image released by @adgpi via X on May 19, 2025, a team of Indian Army and Nepali Army personnel climbs Kanchenjunga mountain. (@adgpi via PTI Photo) Photo: PTI In anticipation of this clash, the Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC) had taken pre-emptive efforts. On April 4, it formally petitioned the Ministry of Defence and the governor of Sikkim, Om Prakash Mathur, urging them to halt the planned expedition. The irony should not be lost in how an initiative meant to celebrate the unity in India's diversity has hurt the sentiments of a religious and cultural group of a state that had merged with India by way of abolition of its own kingdom 50 years ago. True unity respects diversity, and true patriotism upholds the sentiments of all its peoples. Now, as the tricolour flutters over a peak considered sacred for centuries, the question before the nation is not merely who reached the top but at what cultural cost. When seen through a time-honoured Sikkimese lens, Kanchenjunga is not a trophy for adventurers, a playground for thrill-seekers, or just another tick on a climber's checklist. It stands as a symbol of cultural heritage and the pinnacle of religious identity for a significant section of Sikkim's people. In this context, the ban on climbing it is not merely a regulatory restriction. It is a civilisational assertion. And the significance of this act extends beyond religion or tradition. It is deeply political, rooted in the Sikkimese identity, dignity and autonomy. Politics Sikkim chief minister Prem Singh Tamang has written to Union home minister Amit Shah on the matter. But what exactly is the state government demanding in response to the violation? Why did it not act in advance? Given that the climbing ban was imposed by the state government back in 2001, should the authorities not have been consulted before any expedition was approved? Interestingly, Sonam Lama, the Sikkim Sangha minister – elected by a unique constituency which is reserved for Buddhist monks and nuns – downplayed the issue, noting that the expedition took place from the Nepalese side. It is unclear if the the Sikkim government fully grasps that at the heart of this issue lies the deeper question of Sikkimese autonomy. It must know that any violation here is not just cultural sacrilege but also an infringement of the special protections granted to Sikkim under Article 371F of the Indian Constitution. The state government thus faces a twofold responsibility: to safeguard the indigenous worldview of its people and to uphold the autonomy enshrined in its constitutional status. On one hand, the Bhutia-Lepcha cosmo-vision is being undermined. On the other hand, Sikkim's political and constitutional autonomy, hard-won and historically negotiated, must be defended against external decisions that bypass the state's authority and its cultural sensibilities. If Sikkim does not make its voice heard now, it risks losing its unique identity to India's broader and increasingly homogenised national narrative. The government must demand accountability for this violation, reaffirm the inviolability of its sacred landscapes and amplify indigenous voices before they are silenced forever. Jiwan Rai is a social and political commentator from Sikkim. He can be reached at jiwanr@ The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments. 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