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The date 2 June 2003 is a very special one: it marks the 50th anniversary of the coronation of The Queen. Coronations have taken place at Westminster Abbey for over 900 years. On 2 June 1953 Queen Elizabeth II, aged just 27, became the 39th monarch to be anointed in this solemn religious ceremony.
Millions of people, standing on the streets of London, watching at home on their new television sets or listening to the radio, shared the Coronation Day celebrations.
On the wet and grey morning of 2 June 1953, friends and families who had camped on London pavements awoke to find themselves joined by other people hoping to secure a good position. According to contemporary estimates, more than 130,000 camped along the route of the procession the night before.
People from all backgrounds and countries massed together, sheltering from the dismal weather many hours before The Queen was due to pass their spot. Street entertainment kept away damp spirits, with singing and music provided by bands, whilst excited voices passed on the news that the summit of Mount Everest had just been climbed.
Throughout the morning troops assembled along the procession route, an array of uniforms from the Army, Navy, Air and Police forces. Scarlet banners bearing the Royal monogram linked four twin-spanned arches of steel supporting huge suspended crowns and lions.
At 10 o'clock, a line of carriages travelled down The Mall conveying to the Abbey foreign dignitaries representing countries from Afghanistan to Vietnam. At precisely 10.26am, the Gold State Coach appeared through the arch of Buckingham Palace, drawn by eight grey horses with postillions wearing gold embroidered tunics.
The cheering crowds finally saw The Queen herself smiling and waving from the windows of the carriage, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh. The Queen made a striking figure wearing the purple Robe of State and the State Diadem, and dressed in her Coronation dress. Made by designer Norman Hartnell, the white satin dress was embroidered with emblems from Great Britain and the Commonwealth.
The Sovereign's escort of the Household Cavalry, Foot Guards and the Band of the Welsh and Irish Guards began its journey towards Westminster behind the Gold State Coach. All the way along Northumberland Avenue and Victoria Embankment to Parliament Square, people leaned out of windows, waved from lampposts or used a homemade periscope to see The Queen as she passed.
The broadcast by the BBC enabled live coverage of the Coronation to be beamed into British homes, a technological feat for the fledgling television industry. The eight thousand strong congregation at Westminster Abbey was joined by over 27 million television viewers. Television cameras in the Abbey, positioned high up in the vaulted roof and down in front of the Coronation dais, filmed the service in its entirety from 11.15am onwards.
Stepping out of the Gold State Coach and assisted by her maids of honour, The Queen was greeted by the Earl Marshal, the Duke of Norfolk. For a few minutes The Queen disappeared from the view of the cameras to prepare herself for the elaborate service.
Fanfares echoed around the packed Abbey announcing the arrival of The Queen and the Coronation procession, made up of knights and the clergy. The choir sang out 'Vivat!' as she approached a specially-built platform in the centre of the Abbey, the State Diadem glittering under the powerful television lights.
Gathered around the dais stood peers and peeresses, wearing coronets and cloaks trimmed with ermine. Seated in the Royal Gallery between The Queen Mother and Princess Margaret sat the six-year-old Prince Charles. The current Duke of Kent also witnessed the Coronation.
The Coronation service was composed of six parts, following the order of service first used in the fourteenth century and last used by The Queen's father George VI in 1937. The Coronation moved through six phases: recognition, oath, anointing, investiture, enthronement and homage.
In front of millions of watchful eyes the ceremony unfolded. Led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Geoffrey Fisher, the service reached its climax at the moment of crowning. As The Queen was seated in the Coronation chair with the orb, the armills (gold bracelets), the Coronation ring, and the sceptre, the Archbishop raised the King Edward's crown above her head and slowly lowered it. A cry rang out around the Abbey: 'God Save The Queen!'
In one of the last acts of the Coronation service, The Duke of Edinburgh paid homage to his wife before she rose from the throne. Carrying her regalia, the orb in her left hand and sceptre in her right, The Queen stepped into the Gold State Coach for a second and last time. Cheers rang out from the crowds who had waited patiently outside in cold and rain for almost three hours.
Once again, the crowds could witness the magnificent horse and carriage procession as The Queen embarked on a two-hour tour of central London in front of an estimated three million people lining the streets of Whitehall, Pall Mall, St James's Street, Piccadilly, Marble Arch, Oxford Street, Regent Street, Haymarket, and The Mall.
The return procession had been greatly extended by military detachments from around the world. From its head to the end of the procession, the cavalcade began at Marble Arch and stretched back to the Abbey in a continuous line. The troops included armed police from the Solomon Islands, air force from Hong Kong, scouts from Somaliland and soldiers from Pakistan, followed by heads of state and prime ministers. The 16,000 participants in the two-mile long cavalcade took two hours to complete the five-mile route.
At half past four in the afternoon, The Queen began her last leg of the journey, travelling under Admiralty Arch decked out with flags and up The Mall towards the Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace. Barely had The Queen disappeared into Buckingham Palace when the crowds poured into The Mall and up to the gates.
The crowds were rewarded when The Queen made her first balcony appearance to watch an RAF jet-fighter flypast, joined by her young children Prince Charles and Princess Anne. The Queen made five other appearances, the last at midnight, stepping out onto the floodlit balcony with The Duke of Edinburgh.
At 9 o'clock on Coronation evening The Queen addressed Britain and the Commonwealth on the radio. She spoke about her pledge of service as Queen and thanked people for their loyalty and affection.
The grand finale of Coronation Day when The Queen started illuminations cascading down The Mall. The day finished with a bang with a firework display on the south bank of the River Thames.
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