On 20 June 1837, King William IV died and his niece, Princess Victoria, became Queen at the age of 18. Her coronation was held at Westminster Abbey a year later on 28 June 1838. The coronation was a huge occasion and four hundred thousand visitors went to London to see the new Queen being crowned.

This extract from a newspaper called The Globe describes the procession of Queen Victoria to Westminster Abbey and the crowds that came to see her.



© Royal Archives, Windsor Castle

Click here to view a full-size version (JPG, 526KB)

Click here to view a transcript (PDF, 70.5KB)

Tasks

3a. How do you think Queen Victoria felt on the day of her coronation?

3b. Can you identify from the newspaper extract some of the ways in which the crowds greeted the new Queen as she travelled to Westminster Abbey?