- The official guide to the Queen's Coronation, written by an author who attended the Coronation, with first-hand anecdotes from others who also witnessed this historic occasion
- Illustrated with the memorable images of the preparations and the ceremony itself taken by important photographers of the day, as well as stunning colour photography of the Crown Jewels
The Queen's Coronation, on 2 June 1953, should have been celebrated in blazing sunshine. Instead, the grey dawn heralded one of the coldest June days in years, and it poured with rain. But the enthusiasm of the hundreds of thousands of people who lined the streets waiting to see The Queen, many of whom had come from abroad, was undimmed. The processional route to and from Westminster Abbey was hung with colourful decorations and lined with miles of special seating. The Mall, in particular, was spanned by huge arches, from which hung golden crowns. In addition to those who witnessed the spectacular ceremony in the Abbey or who camped out on the processional route, millions around the world watched it on film or television.
Six years before her Coronation, The Queen said: 'I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and to the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.' It is a pledge she has upheld.
This book looks back to that Coronation Day and, with the help of those who were there, tells the inside story of the planning and preparations for what was the best-organised and most widely witnessed Coronation in history.
James Wilkinson has been associated with the Abbey since he was a chorister there in the early 1950s; in 1953 he sang at The Queen's coronation. He is now one of the Abbey's Honorary Stewards. He has written several other books about the Abbey.
