Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
On June 2, 1953, a young woman who drove a truck every day during the war sat in a gilded carriage drawn by several stallions as she slowly passed through the streets of London, where many of her admirers flocked to see her four-wheeled carriage arrive at Westminster Abbey. She stepped out of the carriage and walked slowly through the carpeted hall with her heavy crown on her head. In front of a thousand quiet dignitaries, the bishop recited a prayer that had been used for centuries, and Princess Elizabeth succeeded to the throne.
Although Elizabeth made her first public appearance as British monarch today, she had been ruling the country since the death of her father, George VI, on Feb. 9, 1952. The intervening months were very beneficial to Elizabeth, allowing her to mourn her father and ample time to prepare for the joys that her coronation would bring. The people of the country also had the opportunity to prepare for this extremely spectacular coronation.
Elizabeth had never thought of succeeding to the throne as a child, when her uncle Edward VIII was King of England, and it seemed that Edward's children would inherit the throne. But Edward VIII gave up the throne, and Elizabeth's father succeeded as monarch at the age of 10.
Elizabeth served in the Women's Army as a second lieutenant and spent her days driving and repairing cars. By then she already knew that she could not be a driver, but a monarch.
On her way back from Westminster Abbey, she greeted her subjects around her in a relaxed and unobtrusive manner. Behind the Queen were heads of state in their respective luxury cars, including the prime ministers of India, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, and the kings of Zanzibar, Brunei and other countries.
They were escorted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, dressed in bright red, and the Malayan Guard Force, dressed in white uniforms with green aprons.
In her radio address to the Kingdom, the Queen thanked the people of the world for their good wishes for her. The Queen made special mention of her husband (Prince Philip led the entire nobility in pledging allegiance to the Queen), "My husband supports me," she said, "He shares my ideals and has a deep affection for you."
More attention was focused on the queen's children, Prince Charles, 4, and Princess Anne, 2, who attended part of the coronation. Because it took so long, they too became irritable and restless like any child with authority, royal or not.