ELIZABETH II (2)
In This Chapter the Continue of Elizabeth II
Personality and image of Elizabeth II :
The image of Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and Head of the Commonwealth from 1952 to 2022, was generally favourable throughout her years as a reigning monarch. Conservative in dress, she was well known for her solid-colour overcoats and matching hats, which allowed her to be seen easily in a crowd. She attended many cultural events as part of her public role. Her main leisure interests included horse racing, photography, and dogs, especially her Pembroke Welsh corgis. Her views on political issues and other matters were largely subject to conjecture. She never gave a press interview and was otherwise not known to discuss her personal opinions publicly.
Personality :
Much of what is known about Elizabeth's personality and views has been compiled from impressions and descriptions by those whom had met her. Canadian politician Michael Ignatieff remarked in 2010, after a private audience with the Queen, how he was struck by her "wonderful sense of the absurd" and noted her "Sense of humour, that sense of the absurd, that sense of comedy of life has survived 60 years of gruelling public life." After a weekend at Balmoral Castle hosted by the Queen, Canadian Governor General Michaëlle Jean recounted witnessing a relaxed, informal home life: Elizabeth and her family preparing a meal together — including a salad dressing devised by the Queen — and doing the washing up afterwards. Lady Pamela Hicks, a cousin of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, commented on Elizabeth's personality as "individualistic". Hicks's mother remembers back to when King George VI died. Elizabeth was in Kenya with her husband when she found out; "I'm so sorry, but we are going to have to go back to England," she recalled Elizabeth saying.
Beliefs, activities and interests :
Elizabeth had a deep sense of religious and civic duty, and took her Coronation Oath seriously. Aside from her official religious role as Supreme Governor of the established Church of England, she worshipped with that church and also the national Church of Scotland. She demonstrated support for inter-faith relations and met with leaders of other churches and religions, including five popes: Pius XII, John XXIII, John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis. A personal note about her faith often featured in her annual Christmas Message broadcast to the Commonwealth. In 2000, she said:
To many of us, our beliefs are of fundamental importance. For me the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life. I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christ's words and example.
Elizabeth was patron of more than 600 organisations and charities. The Charities Aid Foundation estimated that Elizabeth helped raise over £1.4 billion for her patronages during her reign. Her main leisure interests included equestrianism and dogs, especially her Pembroke Welsh Corgis. Her lifelong love of corgis began in 1933 with Dookie, the first corgi owned by her family.
•Political views :
Elizabeth did not explicitly express her own political opinions in a public forum, and it is against convention to ask or reveal the monarch's views.
When The Times journalist Paul Routledge controversially asked the Queen for her opinions on the miners' strike of 1984–85, she replied that it was "all about one man", a reference to Arthur Scargill.
In October 1995, the Queen was tricked into a hoax call by Montreal radio host Pierre Brassard impersonating Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. The Queen, who believed that she was speaking to Chrétien, said she supported Canadian unity, and would try to influence Quebec's referendum on proposals to break away from Canada.
After the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, Prime Minister David Cameron stated that the Queen was pleased with the outcome. She had arguably issued a public coded statement about the referendum by telling one woman outside Balmoral Kirk that she hoped people would think "very carefully" about the outcome. It emerged later that Cameron had specifically requested that she register her concern.
The Queen favoured action to mitigate the effects of climate change. She told the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference: "None of us will live forever. But we are doing this not for ourselves, but for our children and our children's children, and those who will follow in their footsteps".
•Public image :
At Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee in 1977, the crowds and celebrations were genuinely enthusiastic; however there was a significant shift over the next twenty years with her popularity sinking to a low point in the 1990s. Under pressure from public opinion, she began to pay income tax for the first time, and Buckingham Palace was opened to the public. Although support for republicanism in Britain seemed higher than at any time in living memory, republican ideology was still a minority viewpoint and Elizabeth herself had high approval ratings. Criticism was focused on the institution of the monarchy itself, and the conduct of Elizabeth's wider family, rather than her own behaviour and actions. Discontent with the monarchy reached its peak on the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, although Elizabeth's personal popularity—as well as general support for the monarchy—rebounded after her live television broadcast to the world five days after Diana's death. In 2002, the Queen was ranked 24th in the 100 Greatest Britons poll.
In November 1999, a referendum in Australia on the future of the Australian monarchy favoured its retention in preference to an indirectly elected head of state. Many republicans credited Elizabeth's personal popularity with the survival of the monarchy in Australia. In 2010, Prime Minister Julia Gillard noted that there was a "deep affection" for Elizabeth in Australia and another referendum on the monarchy should wait until after her reign. Gillard's successor, Malcolm Turnbull, who led the republican campaign in 1999, similarly believed that Australians would not vote to become a republic in her lifetime. "She's been an extraordinary head of state", Turnbull said in 2021, "and I think frankly, in Australia, there are more Elizabethans than there are monarchists". Similarly, referendums in both Tuvalu in 2008 and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in 2009 saw voters reject proposals to become republics.
Opinion polls suggested that Queen Elizabeth II had a strong approval rating even in the 1990s which improved in the early years of the 21st century; coinciding with her Diamond Jubilee, the Queen had an approval rate in the United Kingdom of 90% in 2012. According to a YouGov poll in January 2014, the Queen was the most admired person in the United Kingdom with 18.74% of respondents reporting that she was the person they most admired, the highest percentage of all candidates. Internationally she was the 17th most-admired person in the world.
Elizabeth's public image had noticeably softened in the years prior to her death; as although she remained reserved in public, she had been seen laughing and smiling much more than in years past, and shed tears during emotional occasions such as at Remembrance Day services. Henry Ward described his 2016 portrait of the Queen as portraying "a queen of warmth but also of reserve." Whilst not as universal as it once was, various polling suggested the popularity of the monarchy remained high in Great Britain during the Platinum Jubilee in 2022, with Elizabeth's personal popularity remaining particularly strong. As of 2021, she remained the third most admired woman in the world according to the annual Gallup poll, her 52 appearances on the list meaning she had been in the top ten more than any other woman in the poll's history.
Personality in diplomacy matters :
In matters of diplomacy, Elizabeth was known to be quite formal, and royal protocol is generally very strict. Though some of the traditional rules for dealing with the monarch were relaxed during her reign (bowing was no longer required, for example, although it is still frequently performed), other forms of close personal interaction, such as touching, are discouraged by officials. At least six people are known to have broken this rule, the first being a woman named Alice Frazier, who hugged the Queen in 1991 when Elizabeth visited her residence in a government housing project in Washington, D.C. (accompanied by First Lady Barbara Bush and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Jack Kemp). The second was Paul Keating, Prime Minister of Australia, when he was photographed with his arm around the Queen in 1992. The third was Canadian cyclist Louis Garneau, who did the same thing ten years later when posing for a photograph with the Queen at Rideau Hall (her official residence in Canada). In 2009, the Queen initiated an affectionate gesture with First Lady Michelle Obama at a palace reception she attended with President Obama. The Queen rested her hand briefly at the small of the First Lady's back, a gesture that Mrs Obama returned. It was remarked at the time as unprecedented and described afterwards by a palace spokeswoman as "a mutual and spontaneous display of affection and appreciation between The Queen and Michelle Obama."
The Queen's subtle uses of signals to her staff in certain social situations has been described by journalist Hugo Vickers and others. It is said that by twisting her wedding ring she would signal that she was ready for the conversation or event to end forthwith. Alternately, placing her handbag onto the table at dinner meant that she wanted the event to end within the next five minutes and by setting it on the floor she indicated that she was not enjoying the conversation and wanted a lady-in-waiting to assist immediately.
•Media perception :
In the 1950s, as a young woman at the start of her reign, Elizabeth was depicted as a glamorous "fairytale Queen". After the trauma of the Second World War, it was a time of hope, a period of progress and achievement heralding a "new Elizabethan age". Lord Altrincham's accusation in 1957 that her speeches sounded like those of a "priggish schoolgirl" was an extremely rare criticism. In the late 1960s, attempts to portray a more modern image of the monarchy were made in the television documentary Royal Family and by televising Prince Charles's investiture as Prince of Wales. Her wardrobe developed a recognisable, signature style driven more by function than fashion. She dressed with an eye toward what was appropriate, rather than what was in vogue. In public, she took to wearing mostly solid-colour overcoats and decorative hats, allowing her to be seen easily in a crowd. Her wardrobe was handled by a team that included five dressers, a dressmaker, and a milliner.
In the 1980s, public criticism of the royal family increased, as the personal and working lives of Elizabeth's children came under media scrutiny. In 1997, she and other members of the royal family were perceived in the tabloid press as cold and unfeeling when they did not participate in the public outpouring of grief at the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. The Queen ignored precedent, opting to bow to Diana's coffin as it passed Buckingham Palace and also gave a live television broadcast paying tribute to Diana. Her family came under scrutiny again in the last few years of her life due to her son Andrew's association with convicted sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, his lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre amidst accusations of sexual impropriety, and her grandson Harry and his wife Meghan's exit from the monarchy and subsequent move to the United States.
Elizabeth attended many cultural events as part of her public role. She gave an annual Christmas message to the Commonwealth every year, apart from 1969, while she was Queen. The Queen's first such message was aired on Christmas Day 1957. In 2001, the Royal Christmas Message was webcast on the royal website for the first time and, in 2006, it was made available as a podcast. Her first appearance on live television was for an address to Canadians on 13 October 1957, Thanksgiving Day in Canada that year. The Queen read her speech at Rideau Hall and it was aired by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
The Queen never did a press interview. In 2018, she engaged in small talk with Alastair Bruce of Crionaich for the television documentary The Coronation. In 2006, the Queen had been filmed having a conversation with the later-disgraced Australian artist and media personality Rolf Harris while he painted her portrait. It ventured little beyond talk of previous portraits of the Queen and royal art history in general, and the Queen's responses to Harris's overtures were notably crisp and monosyllabic. She had a more jovial on-camera exchange with the painter Andrew Festing while sitting for a portrait in the 1992 BBC documentary Elizabeth R, directed by Edward Mirzoeff on the 40th anniversary of her accession.
The BBC, along with RDF Media Group, became the target of Her Majesty's lawyers, Farrer & Co, after the broadcaster aired a documentary trailer for Monarchy: The Royal Family at Work (2007), which was edited in such a way as to make it appear as though the Queen had stormed out of a photo shoot with photographer Annie Leibovitz. The BBC had earlier apologised for the misrepresentation, which was fuelled by BBC1 controller Peter Fincham describing the Queen as "losing it a bit and walking out in a huff"; but, the Queen and Buckingham Palace were not satisfied with the results and pushed to sue for breach of contract.
The Queen was the subject of "Her Majesty", featured on the Beatles' 1969 album Abbey Road; McCartney played the song at the Party at the Palace concert during Elizabeth's golden jubilee in 2002. She is also mentioned in the song "Mean Mr. Mustard" (also featured on Abbey Road), and in the 1967 Lennon and McCartney song "Penny Lane". In 1977, The Sex Pistols issued "God Save the Queen", which became a controversial hit single, inspiring the punk rock movement with its lyrics suggesting "She ain't no human being", and there was "no future" and comparing England to a "fascist regime." The Smiths released the song and album The Queen Is Dead in 1986. The Pet Shop Boys have a track called "Dreaming of the Queen". The Queen was the subject of "Elizabeth My Dear", which appears on The Stone Roses' eponymous debut. She is referenced in the Travie McCoy song "Billionaire" where he sings that he wants to be "on the cover of Forbes magazine./ Smiling next to Oprah and the Queen."
The Queen played detective in the Her Majesty Investigates series of mystery novels by C.C. Benison, which includes Death at Buckingham Palace, Death at Windsor Castle and Death at Sandringham House. The Queen was the subject of The Queen and I, and was a character in Queen Camilla, both books written by Sue Townsend. She was also a character in the book The Uncommon Reader, by Alan Bennett.
In 2006, she was portrayed by Helen Mirren in the Golden Globe- and Academy Award-nominated Stephen Frears film The Queen, a fictional account of the immediate events following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. The film ended up as the most critically acclaimed film of 2006. Mirren, who had been appointed into the Order of the British Empire in 2003, won the Oscar for her work in the film and, in her acceptance speech, she paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II: "For 50 years and more, Elizabeth Windsor has maintained her dignity, her sense of duty and her hairstyle," she said.
Private Eye, the British satirical magazine, has given the royal family working-class nicknames, as though they were characters in a soap opera. Queen Elizabeth II's nickname is "Brenda".
The Crown, a biographical story about the reign of the Queen by Netflix, was released globally on 4 November 2016. It is based on an award-winning play, The Audience, and is a biopic drama television series, created and written by Peter Morgan and produced by Left Bank Pictures and Sony Pictures Television for Netflix. The show received critical accolade and has won many awards, including that of Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series at the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards for Claire Foy.
Critics :
The Queen's Diamond Jubilee attracted some controversy after campaigner Peter Tatchell criticised the Queen for inviting "royal tyrants". At the time Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch had accused both the kings of Bahrain and Eswatini as well as certain members of the Saudi Arabian and Kuwaiti royal families of various human rights abuses.
An investigation by The Guardian in February 2021 revealed that Elizabeth II had used the power of Queen's Consent to secretly influence the content of parliamentary bills that could affect the Crown's financial interests, particularly bills related to wealth and taxation. For example, the report claims that the Queen used the procedure to request an exemption for her private estates from a 1968 road safety bill, and to request changes to a 1975 bill regulating the leasing of private land. The Guardian also reported that the Queen's royal household had barred "coloured immigrants and foreigners" from working in clerical roles, and that the household had used the consent mechanism to lobby Parliament for an exemption from a 1960s law banning employment discrimination. This exemption has prevented women and people of colour who work for the royal household from suing for discrimination. However, Buckingham Palace responded to The Guardian, stating that consent was always granted when requested and that legislation was never blocked.
Fictional portrayals :
Film :
⁎Elizabeth has been portrayed on screen by:
⁎Steven Walden in drag in the X-rated short film spoof Tricia's Wedding (1971), said to be the very first portrayal of the Queen on film.[80]
⁎Huguette Funfrock, a French actress who specialises in playing her, in the spoof Bons baisers de Hong Kong (1975), the comedy Le Bourreau des coeurs (1983), and the Hong Kong film Aces Go Places 3 (1984)
⁎Jeannette Charles, who specialises in playing the Queen, in numerous film and television appearances, including:
⁎Queen Kong (1976)
⁎All You Need Is Cash (aka The Rutles) (1978)
⁎National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985)
⁎The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
⁎Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)
⁎Angela Thorne voiced the character of Queen Elizabeth in The BFG (1989)
⁎Scott Thompson in Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy (1996)
⁎Carolyn Sadowska in The Duke (1999)
⁎Margaret Eggleton-Kaye in the comedy The Pooch and the Pauper (1999)
⁎Rachel Wallis in Her Majesty (2001)
⁎Jeanette Vane has a small part playing the queen in Ali G Indahouse (2002)
⁎Prunella Scales in Johnny English (2003), where her abdication, despite having little screen time, is a major plot point
⁎Neve Campbell in the spoof Churchill: The Hollywood Years (2004)
⁎Dame Helen Mirren in The Queen (2006), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress and the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
⁎Lesley Staples in the straight-to-video Royal Faceoff (2006)
⁎Elena Safonova in the Russian comedy film A Hare over the Abyss (2006)
⁎In the Bollywood film Dhoom 2 (2006), Hrithik Roshan's character sky-dives and lands on a train carrying the Queen. He steals Elizabeth II's crown by disguising himself as the Queen and escapes.
⁎Elizabeth Richard in the disaster movie 2012 (2009), shown in a cameo while going to one of the ark with her dogs and other British officials; in the straight-to-video comedy Never Say Never Mind: The Swedish Bikini Team (2001); and in the American movie What a Girl Wants (2003)
⁎Freya Wilson as a child in The King's Speech (2010)
⁎Joanna Lumley in Gangsta Granny (2013)
⁎Sarah Gadon as a young Princess Elizabeth in A Royal Night Out (2015)
⁎Jennifer Saunders voiced the character of Queen Elizabeth in the American animated film Minions (2015)
⁎Penelope Wilton in The BFG (2016)
⁎The Queen is again featured in Johnny English part 3; Pik-Sen Lim plays the Queen at the end of the movie and in one scene she tries to kill Johnny English
⁎Mari Devon (US) and Julie Walters (UK) voiced the character of Queen Elizabeth in the Belgian animated feature film The Queen's Corgi (2019)
⁎Stella Gonet in Spencer (2021)
Music video :
⁎"U Don't Know Me": The Queen is played by a look-alike and is seen drinking, fighting and fleeing police during a night out in Soho, London
⁎"Ek Chumma": The Queen and members of the Royal Family are played by look-alikes and are seen singing and dancing with the main cast of Housefull 4
⁎"That's the Way (I Like It)", by Clock; it features the Queen, the Palace Guards, Tony Blair and other individuals dancing with the band.
Television :
On television, Elizabeth has been played by :
⁎Jeannette Charles and Huguette Funfrock many times from the 1970s onwards, mostly in comedic roles
⁎Stanley Baxter in The Stanley Baxter Picture Show (1972)
⁎Carol Burnett, in various sketches in The Carol Burnett Show (1970s)
⁎Sheila Steafel in several episodes of the BBC comedy series The Goodies (1975–1977)
⁎Jo Kendall in an episode of The Goodies entitled "Politics" (1980)
⁎Margaret Tyzack in the drama Charles & Diana: A Royal Love Story (1982)
⁎Dana Wynter in the drama The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana (1982)
⁎Sally Grace in an episode of the BBC sitcom Never the Twain entitled "The Royal Connection" (1984)
⁎Mary Reynolds (uncredited) in the Doctor Who story "Silver Nemesis" (1988)
⁎Prunella Scales in the BBC drama A Question of Attribution (1992), based on the play by Alan Bennett
⁎Iris Russell in the drama Fergie & Andrew: Behind the Palace Doors (1992)
⁎Carolyn Sadowska in the drama The Women of Windsor (1992)
⁎Amanda Walker in the drama Charles and Diana: Unhappily Ever After (1992)
⁎Anne Stallybrass in the drama Diana: Her True Story (1993)
⁎Elizabeth Richard many times, including the comedy dramas Giving Tongue (1996) and Gobble (1997)
⁎Lisa Daniely in the drama Princess in Love (1996)
⁎Irm Hermann in the German comedy Willi und die Windzors (1996)
⁎Beth Boyd in the comedy My Government and I (2000)
⁎Elisabeth Dermot Walsh in the Carlton Television drama Bertie and Elizabeth (2002)
⁎Rosemary Leach in the drama Prince William (2002) and the BBC comedy drama Tea with Betty (2006)
⁎Julia Munrow in the BBC drama Love Again (2003), about Philip Larkin
⁎Deirdre Loys Jordan in the Brazilian TV network Rede Globo's soap opera Senhora do Destino's episode 1 (2004)
⁎Helen Duffy in an episode of the sitcom Hannah Montana entitled "Grandmas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Play Favorites" (2006)
⁎Herself in Children's Party at the Palace (2006)
⁎Dilys Laye in the comedy drama series The Amazing Mrs Pritchard (2006)
⁎Jessica Martin briefly at the end of the Christmas special of the BBC series Doctor Who entitled "Voyage of the Damned" (2007)
⁎Rosemary Leach in Margaret (2009)
⁎Emilia Fox, Samantha Bond, Barbara Flynn, Susan Jameson, and Diana Quick in the docudrama serial The Queen (2009)
⁎Jane Alexander in William & Catherine: A Royal Romance (2011)
⁎Emma Thompson in the Playhouse Presents episode "Walking the Dogs" (2012)
⁎Herself and stunt double Gary Connery in the short film Happy and Glorious co-starring Daniel Craig as James Bond, part of the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony (2012)
⁎June Squibb in 7 Days in Hell (2015)
⁎Claire Foy, Verity Russell, Olivia Colman and Imelda Staunton in the Netflix series The Crown (2016–present)
⁎Roxana Lupu and Christina Richards in the Channel 5 documentary series Inside Windsor Castle (2017)
⁎Maggie Sullivun in Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance (2018)
⁎Samantha Bond in the Sky One Christmas special adaptation of Sue Townsend's 1993 novel The Queen and I (2018)
⁎Jessica Ellerby in the Epix series Pennyworth (2019–present)
⁎Sharon Miller (voice) in Thomas & Friends: "The Royal Engine" episode (2020)
⁎Debra Stephenson (voice) in Spitting Image (2020 TV series) (2020–present)
⁎Debra Stephenson (voice) in Alternative Christmas message (2020). As a "stark warning" of the dangers of fake news, Stephenson voiced a deepfake version of the Queen for the alternative Christmas message broadcast by Channel 4.
⁎Tracey Ullman in Death to 2020 (2020)
⁎Frances de la Tour (voice) in The Prince (2021)
She has been portrayed on Saturday Night Live since 1977 by, among others, Fred Armisen, Mike Myers, and Kate McKinnon.[84] Jan Ravens was the voice for a latex puppet caricature of her in Spitting Image (1984–1996), and gave radio and television comedy impressions of her in Dead Ringers. Scott Thompson gave a recurring impression of Queen Elizabeth II on the Canadian sketch comedy show The Kids in the Hall in the early 1990s, as did Luba Goy on Royal Canadian Air Farce and Cathy Jones in This Hour Has 22 Minutes. Tracey Ullman's depiction of the Queen was among many roles she played on the television series Tracey Takes On.... The Simpsons portrayed the Queen during the episode "The Regina Monologues" (2003). She was also shown in the SpongeBob SquarePants TV movie Truth or Square. The Queen is also a supporting character in Peppa Pig and Mr. Bean: The Animated Series.
Stage :
⁎Prunella Scales in A Question of Attribution (1988)
⁎Marion Bailey and Clare Holman in Handbagged (2013)
⁎Marion Bailey and Lucy Robinson in Handbagged (2014)
⁎Susie Blake and Emma Handy in Handbagged (2015)
⁎Helen Mirren in The Audience (2013)
⁎Kristin Scott Thomas in The Audience (2015)
⁎Fiona Reid in The Audience (2016)
⁎Inna Churikova in The Audience (2017)
⁎Judy Kaye in the musical Diana (2019)
⁎Theresa Healey in The Audience (2019)
Radio :
In December 2012, as part of a radio show, a group of Australian radio jockies rang up the King Edward VII's Hospital, where Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge was staying. One jockey impersonated the Queen and the other impersonated prince Charles. One of the nurses who spoke to them, Jacintha Saldanha, later committed suicide and there was much criticism directed at the radio show. There were no charges laid against the radio jockies.
Novels and children's books :
Elizabeth has played a role in the plots of fictional works, including mystery novels, satires, historical fiction, and children's books.
Novels :
⁎The Queen and I, by Sue Townsend (1993)
⁎Death at Buckingham Palace: Her Majesty Investigates, by C.C. Benison (1996)
⁎Death at Sandringham House: Her Majesty Investigates, by C.C. Benison (1996)
⁎Death at Windsor Castle: Her Majesty Investigates, by C.C. Benison (1998)
⁎Autobiography of the Queen, by Emma Tennant (2007)
⁎Queen Camilla (novel), by Sue Townsend (2012)
⁎Mrs. Queen Takes the Train: A Novel, by William Kuhn (2012)
⁎Princess Elizabeth's Spy (A Maggie Hope Mystery), by Susan Elia MacNeal (2012)
⁎The Queen's Accomplice (A Maggie Hope Mystery), by Susan Elia MacNeal (2016)
⁎The Gown: A Novel of the Royal Wedding, by Jennifer Robson (2018)
⁎The Windsor Knot: A Novel (Her Majesty the Queen Investigates, I), by SJ Bennett (2021)
⁎All the Queen's Men (Her Majesty the Queen Investigates, II), by SJ Bennett (2022)
Novellas :
⁎The Uncommon Reader: A Novella, by Alan Bennett (2008)
Children's books :
⁎The BFG, by Roald Dahl (1982)
⁎Rainbow Magic: Georgie the Royal Prince Fairy, by Daisy Meadows (2014)
⁎Tea with the Queen, by Chrissie Hart (2014)
⁎The Queen's Hat (The Queen Collection), by Steve Antony (2014)
⁎Winnie-the-Pooh Meets the Queen, by Jane Riordan (2016)
⁎The Queen's Handbag (The Queen Collection), by Steve Antony (2016)
⁎The Queen's Present (The Queen Collection), by Steve Antony (2017)
⁎The Boy At the Back of the Class, by Onjali Q. Raúf (2018)
⁎The Queen's Lift-Off (The Queen Collection), by Steve Antony (2019)
Documentaries and television series :
Documentaries :
⁎The Royal Wedding (Short documentary) (1947)
⁎Royal Journey (Canada) (1951)
⁎Royal Heritage (Short documentary) (1952)
⁎A Queen is Crowned (1953)
⁎Elizabeth is Queen (Short documentary) (1953)
⁎Long To Reign Over Us (Short documentary) (1953)
⁎Royal Destiny (Short documentary) (1953)
⁎A Queen's World Tour (1954)
⁎Royal New Zealand Journey (1954)
⁎The Queen in Australia (Australia) (1954)
⁎The Sceptre and the Mace (Canada) (Short documentary) (1957)
⁎Life of a Queen (Short documentary) (1960)
⁎The Royal Tour of India (1961)
⁎Queen Elizabeth II in Pakistan (Short documentary) (1961)
⁎The Queen Returns (Australia) (1963)
⁎The Royal Tour of the Caribbean (1966)
⁎Hello Elisabeth! (Finland) (1976)
⁎Twenty Five Years (1977)
⁎Queen Elizabeth II: 60 Glorious Years (1986)
⁎The Royal Year (1987)
⁎Tribute to Her Majesty (1987)
⁎Queen Elizabeth II: The Power and Glory (1991)
⁎From Princess to Queen: Elizabeth II - Childhood to Statehood (1996)
⁎50 Glorious Years - A Royal Celebration (1997)
⁎Queen's Golden Jubilee 2002: Party at the Palace (2002)
⁎The Queen: Behind the Mask (2007)
⁎The Queen - A life in Film (2008)
⁎The Story of Queen Elizabeth II (2011)
⁎Die Queen - Elizabeth II. (Germany) (2012)
⁎Elizabeth II - A Diamond Jubilee Celebration (2012)
⁎Elizabeth II - Le Portrait (Canada) (2012)
⁎Queen Elizabeth II: A Lifetime of Service (2012)
⁎Queen Elizabeth II - Reign Supreme (2012)
⁎The Queen's Diamond Decades (2012)
⁎The Majestic Life of Queen Elizabeth II (2013)
⁎The Queen at 90 (2016)
⁎The Queen at War (US) (2020)
⁎Queen Elizabeth II: The Unlikely Queen (US) (2021)
⁎Elizabeth Windsor (2022)
⁎Elizabeth and Margaret: Pride and Joy (2022)
⁎Our Platinum Queen: 70 Years on the Throne (2022)
⁎Queen Elizabeth II: Above All Else (2022)
TV film and series documentaries :
⁎Royal Family (1969)
⁎The Crown in New Zealand (1970)
⁎Royal Heritage (1977)
⁎Jubilee and Beyond (Australia) (1977)
⁎Elizabeth - The First Thirty Years (1985)
⁎Canada and the Monarchy (1992)
⁎Elizabeth R: A Year in the Life of the Queen (1992)
⁎Days of Majesty (1993)
⁎The Windsors: A Royal Family PBS (US) (1994)
⁎Britannia - The Palace At Sea (1995)
⁎Elizabeth: The Reluctant Monarch (1998)
⁎Queen & Country BBC (2002)
⁎The Jubilee Girl (2002)
⁎The Queen: A Remarkable Life (2002)
⁎The Royal Jewels (2002)
⁎An Unforgettable Coronation BBC (2003)
⁎The Queen's Castle (2005)
⁎Ten Days that Made the Queen (2006)
⁎The Girl Who Would Be Queen (2006)
⁎The Queen at 80 (2006)
⁎The Queen by Rolf (2006)
Königin - Ein Job fürs Leben: Queen Elisabeth II. (Germany) (2007)
⁎Monarchy: The Royal Family at Work (2007)
⁎The Queen's Wedding (2007)
⁎The Queen's Coronation: Behind Palace Doors (2008)
⁎The Queen's Palaces BBC (2011)
⁎A Jubilee Tribute to the Queen by the Prince of Wales BBC (2012)
⁎Elizabeth: Queen of Scots (2012)
⁎Elizabeth: Queen, Wife, Mother (TV Movie documentary) (2012)
⁎The Changing Face of the Queen (2012)
⁎The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II (TV Movie documentary) (2012)
⁎The Diamond Queen (2012)
⁎The Queen and Her Prime Ministers (2012)
⁎The Queen (Arte) (France/Germany) (2012)
⁎Our Queen ITV (2013)
⁎In Their Own Words: Queen Elizabeth II PBS (US) (2015)
⁎The Queen's Big Night Out Channel 4 (2015)
⁎The Queen's Longest Reign: Elizabeth and Victoria BBC (2015)
⁎Cue The Queen: Celebrating the Christmas Speech BBC (2015)
⁎Elizabeth at 90: A Family Portrait (TV Movie documentary) BBC (2016)
⁎Our Queen at 90 ITV (2016)
⁎A Very Royal Wedding ITV (2017)
⁎Elizabeth & Philip: Love and Duty BBC One (2017)
⁎Inside Windsor Castle Channel 5 (2017)
⁎The Royal House of Windsor Channel 4 (2017)
⁎The Coronation (2018)
⁎Elizabeth Our Queen Channel 5 (2018)
⁎The Queen - Her Commonwealth Story BBC (2018)
⁎The Queen's Green Planet ITV (2018)
⁎Elizabeth II, 65 ans de règne et de secrets (France) (2018)
⁎The Queen's Coronation in Colour ITV (2018)
⁎The Story Of The Royals ABC (US) (2018)
⁎Queen of the World ITV (2018)
⁎The Crown and Us: the story of the Royals in Australia ABC (Australia) (2019)
⁎Paxman on the Queen's Children Channel 5 (2019)
⁎Secrets of the Royal Servants (2019)
⁎Inside the Crown: Secrets of the Royals ITV (2020)
⁎Our Queen at War ITV (2020)
⁎The Queen's Speeches: In Triumph & Tragedy Channel 5 (2020)
⁎The Queen: Duty Before Family? Channel 5 (2020)
⁎Elizabeth and Margaret: Love & Loyalty Channel 5 (2020)
⁎The Queen & Charles: Mother and Son Channel 5 (2020)
⁎Being The Queen National Geographic (US) (2020)
⁎The Queen and the Coup Channel 4 (2020)
⁎My Years with The Queen - ITV (2021)
⁎Elizabeth at 95: The Invincible Queen True Royalty TV (2021)
⁎The Queen: 70 Glorious Years BBC (2022)
⁎Elizabeth I & II: The Golden Queens BBC (2022)
⁎Elizabeth: The Unseen Queen BBC (2022)
⁎Elizabeth: A Portrait in Parts Amazon Prime (2022)
⁎My Government and I BBC (2022)
⁎Our Queen: The People's Stories ITV (2022)
⁎Queen Elizabeth II - The story of her coronation Deutsche Welle (2022)
⁎The Queen & Britain's Crown Jewels in History BBC (2022)
⁎The Queen and I BBC (2022)
⁎The Queen and Us BBC (2022)
⁎Elizabeth II: A Life Of Duty Sky News (2022)
⁎The Queen & Her People BBC (2022)
⁎The Queen & Wales BBC (2022)
⁎The Queen in Her Own Words (ITV) (2022)
⁎When The Queen Spoke To The Nation BBC (2022)
⁎A Tribute to Her Majesty The Queen BBC (2022)
⁎Her Majesty's Music BBC (2022)
⁎Culture and the Queen BBC (2022)
⁎The Royal Diplomat BBC (2022)
⁎God's Servant Queen BBC (2022)
Image on currency :
The image of Queen Elizabeth has appeared on the banknotes of at least 35 countries, making her the Guinness World Record holder for the "Most Currencies Featuring the Same Individual". Her depictions on these currencies serve as a photo journal of sorts, as they span the range of Elizabeth's life, from youth to the end of her life.
Patronage of charities :
The Queen was patron of more than 620 charities and organisations including:
⁎Campaign to Protect Rural England
⁎Canadian Medical Association
⁎The Kennel Club
⁎NSPCC
⁎Royal Architectural Institute of Canada
⁎Queen Elizabeth Hospital for Children
⁎Royal School of Church Music
⁎Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge
⁎Boys' Brigade
⁎Queens' College, Cambridge
⁎Visitor of Christ Church, Oxford
⁎Visitor of Westminster School
⁎Visitor of Ruthin School
Coronation of Elizabeth II :
Date : 2 June 1953
Venue : Westminster Abbey
Location : London, United Kingdom
Participants : Elizabeth II.
Great Officers of State.
Archbishops and bishops assistant of the Church of England.
Garter Principal King of Arms.
Peers of the Realm.
Mistress of the Robes.
The coronation of Elizabeth II took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London. She acceded to the throne at the age of 25 upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952, being proclaimed queen by her privy and executive councils shortly afterwards. The coronation was held more than one year later because of the tradition of allowing an appropriate length of time to pass after a monarch dies before holding such festivals. It also gave the planning committees adequate time to make preparations for the ceremony. During the service, Elizabeth took an oath, was anointed with holy oil, was invested with robes and regalia, and was crowned queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).
Celebrations took place across the Commonwealth realms and a commemorative medal was issued. It has been the only British coronation to be fully televised; television cameras had not been allowed inside the abbey during her parents' coronation in 1937. Elizabeth's was the fourth and last British coronation of the 20th century. It was estimated to have cost £1.57 million (c. £43,427,400 in 2019).
Preparations :
The one-day ceremony took 14 months of preparation: the first meeting of the Coronation Commission was in April 1952, under the chairmanship of the Queen's husband, Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Other committees were also formed, such as the Coronation Joint Committee and the Coronation Executive Committee,[7] both chaired by the Duke of Norfolk who, by convention as Earl Marshal, had overall responsibility for the event. Many physical preparations and decorations along the route were the responsibility of David Eccles, Minister of Works. Eccles described his role and that of the Earl Marshal: "The Earl Marshal is the producer – I am the stage manager..."
The committees involved high commissioners from other Commonwealth realms, reflecting the international nature of the coronation; however, officials from other Commonwealth realms declined invitations to participate in the event because the governments of those countries considered the ceremony to be a religious rite unique to Britain. As Canadian Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent said at the time: "In my view the Coronation is the official enthronement of the Sovereign as Sovereign of the UK. We are happy to attend and witness the Coronation of the Sovereign of the UK but we are not direct participants in that function." The Coronation Commission announced in June 1952 that the coronation would take place on 2 June 1953.
Norman Hartnell was commissioned by the Queen to design the outfits for all members of the royal family, including Elizabeth's coronation gown. His design for the gown evolved through nine proposals, and the final version resulted from his own research and numerous meetings with the Queen: a white silk dress embroidered with floral emblems of the countries of the Commonwealth at the time: the Tudor rose of England, Scottish thistle, Welsh leek, shamrock for Northern Ireland, wattle of Australia, maple leaf of Canada, the New Zealand silver fern, South Africa's protea, two lotus flowers for India and Ceylon, and Pakistan's wheat, cotton and jute. Roger Vivier created a pair of gold pumps for the occasion. The shoe featured jewel-encrusted heels and decorative motif on the upper sides, which was meant to resemble "the fleurs-de-lis pattern on the St Edward's Crown and the Imperial State Crown". Elizabeth chose to wear the Coronation necklace for the event. The piece was commissioned by Queen Victoria and worn by Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth at their respective coronations. She paired it with the Coronation earrings.
Elizabeth rehearsed for the occasion with her maids of honour. A sheet was used in place of the velvet train, and a formation of chairs stood in for the carriage. She also wore the Imperial State Crown while going about her daily business – at her desk, during tea, and while reading a newspaper – so that she could become accustomed to its feel and weight. Elizabeth took part in two full rehearsals at Westminster Abbey, on 22 and 29 May, though some sources claim that she attended one or "several" rehearsals. The Duchess of Norfolk usually stood in for the Queen at rehearsals.
Elizabeth's grandmother Queen Mary had died on 24 March 1953, having stated in her will that her death should not affect the planning of the coronation, and the event went ahead as scheduled. It was estimated to cost £1.57 million (c£. 41,710,000 in 2019), which included stands along the procession route to accommodate 96,000 people, lavatories, street decorations, outfits, car hire, repairs to the state coach, and alterations to the Queen's regalia.
Event :
The coronation ceremony of Elizabeth II followed a pattern similar to the coronations of the kings and queens before her, being held in Westminster Abbey, and involving the peerage and clergy. However, for the new queen, several parts of the ceremony were markedly different.
Television :
Millions across Britain watched the coronation live on the BBC Television Service, and many purchased or rented television sets for the event. The coronation was the first to be televised in full; the BBC's cameras had not been allowed inside Westminster Abbey for her parents' coronation in 1937, and had covered only the procession outside. There had been considerable debate within the British Cabinet on the subject, with Prime Minister Winston Churchill against the idea; Elizabeth refused his advice on this matter and insisted the event take place before television cameras, as well as those filming with experimental 3D technology. The event was also filmed in colour, separately from the BBC's black and white television broadcast, where an average of 17 people watched each small TV.
Elizabeth's coronation was also the first major world event to be broadcast internationally on television. To make sure Canadians could see it on the same day, RAF Canberras flew BBC film recordings of the ceremony across the Atlantic Ocean to be broadcast by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), the first non-stop flights between the United Kingdom and the Canadian mainland. At Goose Bay, Labrador, the first batch of film was transferred to a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CF-100 jet fighter for the further trip to Montreal. In all, three such flights were made as the coronation proceeded, with the first and second Canberras taking the second and third batches of film, respectively, to Montreal. The following day, a film was flown west to Vancouver, whose CBC Television affiliate had yet to sign on. The film was escorted by the RCMP to the Peace Arch Border Crossing, where it was then escorted by the Washington State Patrol to Bellingham, where it was shown as the inaugural broadcast of KVOS-TV, a new station whose signal reached into the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, allowing viewers there to see the coronation as well, though on a one-day delay.
US networks NBC and CBS made similar arrangements to have films flown in relays back to the United States for same-day broadcast, but used slower propeller-driven aircraft. NBC had originally planned to carry the event live via skywave direct from the BBC but was unable to establish a broadcast-quality video link on coronation day due to poor atmospheric conditions. The struggling ABC network arranged to re-transmit the CBC broadcast, taking the on-the-air signal from the CBC's Toronto station and feeding the network from WBEN-TV, Buffalo's lone television station at the time; as a result, ABC beat the other two networks to air by more than 90 minutes — and at considerably lower cost.
Although it did not as yet have a full-time television service, film was also dispatched to Australia aboard a Qantas airliner, which arrived in Sydney in a record time of 53 hours 28 minutes. The worldwide television audience for the coronation was estimated to be 277 million.
Procession :
Along a route lined with sailors, soldiers, and airmen and women from across the British Empire and Commonwealth, guests and officials passed in a procession before about 3 million spectators that were gathered on the streets of London, some having camped overnight in their spot to ensure a view of the monarch, and others having access to specially built stands and scaffolding along the route. For those not present, more than 200 microphones were stationed along the path and in Westminster Abbey, with 750 commentators broadcasting in 39 languages.
The procession included foreign royalty and heads of state riding to Westminster Abbey in various carriages, so many that volunteers ranging from wealthy businessmen to rural landowners were required to supplement the insufficient ranks of regular footmen. The first royal coach left Buckingham Palace and moved down the Mall, which was filled with flag-waving and cheering crowds. It was followed by the Irish State Coach carrying Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, who wore the circlet of her crown bearing the Koh-i-Noor diamond. Queen Elizabeth II proceeded through London from Buckingham Palace, through Trafalgar Square, and towards the abbey in the Gold State Coach. Attached to the shoulders of her dress, the Queen wore the Robe of State, a 6-yard (5.5 m) long, hand woven silk velvet cloak lined with Canadian ermine that required the assistance of her maids of honour—Lady Jane Vane-Tempest-Stewart, Lady Anne Coke, Lady Moyra Hamilton, Lady Mary Baillie-Hamilton, Lady Jane Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, Lady Rosemary Spencer-Churchill and the Duchess of Devonshire—to carry.
The return procession followed a route that was 5 miles (8.0 km) in length, passing along Whitehall, across Trafalgar Square, along Pall Mall and Piccadilly to Hyde Park Corner, via Marble Arch and Oxford Circus, down Regent Street and Haymarket, and finally along the Mall to Buckingham Palace. 29,000 service personnel from Britain and across the Commonwealth marched in a procession that was 2 miles (3.2 km) long and took 45 minutes to pass any given point. A further 15,800 lined the route. The parade was led by Colonel Burrows of the War Office staff and four regimental bands. Then came the colonial contingents, then troops from the Commonwealth realms, followed by the Royal Air Force, the British Army, the Royal Navy, and finally the Household Brigade. Behind the marching troops was a carriage procession led by the rulers of the British protectorates, including Queen Sālote Tupou III of Tonga, the Commonwealth prime ministers, the princes and princesses of the blood royal, and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. Preceded by the heads of the British Armed Forces on horseback, the Gold State Coach was escorted by the Yeomen of the Guard and the Household Cavalry and was followed by the Queen's aides-de-camp. So many carriages were required that some had to be borrowed from Elstree Studios.
After the end of the procession, the royal family appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch a flypast. The flypast had been altered on the day due to the bad weather, but otherwise took place as planned. 168 jet fighters flew overhead in three divisions thirty seconds apart, at an altitude of 1,500 feet.
Guests :
After being closed since the Queen's accession for coronation preparations, Westminster Abbey was opened at 6 am on Coronation Day to the approximately 8,000 guests invited from across the Commonwealth of Nations; more prominent individuals, such as members of the Queen's family and foreign royalty, the peers of the United Kingdom, heads of state, members of Parliament from the Queen's various legislatures, and the like, arrived after 8:30 a.m. Queen Sālote of Tonga was a guest, and was noted for her cheery demeanour while riding in an open carriage through London in the rain. General George Marshall, the United States secretary of state who implemented the Marshall Plan, was appointed chairman of the US delegation to the coronation and attended the ceremony along with his wife, Katherine.
Among other dignitaries who attended the event were Sir Winston Churchill, the prime ministers of India and Pakistan, Jawaharlal Nehru and Mohammad Ali Bogra and Col Anastasio Somoza Debayle of Nicaragua.
Guests seated on stools were able to purchase their stools following the ceremony, with the profits going towards the cost of the coronation.
Ceremony :
Preceding the Queen into Westminster Abbey was St Edward's Crown, carried into the abbey by the lord high steward of England, Lord Cunningham of Hyndhope, who was flanked by two other peers, while the archbishops and bishops assistant (Durham and Bath and Wells) of the Church of England, in their copes and mitres, waited outside the Great West Door for Queen Elizabeth II's arrival. When she arrived at about 11:00 am, she found that the friction between her robes and the carpet caused her difficulty moving forward, and she said to the archbishop of Canterbury, Geoffrey Fisher, "Get me started!" Once going, the procession, which included the various high commissioners of the Commonwealth carrying banners bearing the shields of the coats of arms of their respective nations, moved inside the abbey, up the central aisle and through the choir to the stage, as the choirs sang "I was glad", an imperial setting of Psalm 122, vv. 1–3, 6, and 7 by Sir Hubert Parry. As Elizabeth prayed at and then seated herself on the Chair of Estate to the south of the altar, the bishops carried in the religious paraphernalia—the bible, paten and chalice—and the peers holding the coronation regalia handed them over to the archbishop of Canterbury, who, in turn, passed them to the dean of Westminster, Alan Campbell Don, to be placed on the altar.
After she moved to stand before King Edward's Chair, Elizabeth turned, following as Fisher, along with the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain (Lord Simonds), Lord Great Chamberlain of England (Lord Cholmondeley), lord high constable of England (Lord Alanbrooke) and Earl Marshal of the United Kingdom (the Duke of Norfolk), all led by Garter Principal King of Arms George Bellew. The Archbishop of Canterbury asked the audience in each direction of the compass separately: "Sirs, I here present unto you Queen Elizabeth, your undoubted Queen: wherefore all you who are come this day to do your homage and service, are you willing to do the same?" The crowd would reply "God save Queen Elizabeth!" every time, to each of which the Queen would curtsey in return.
Seated again on the Chair of Estate, Elizabeth then took the Coronation Oath as administered by the archbishop of Canterbury. In the lengthy oath, she swore to govern each of her countries according to their respective laws and customs, to mete out law and justice with mercy, to uphold Protestantism in the United Kingdom and protect the Church of England and preserve its bishops and clergy. She proceeded to the altar where she stated, "The things which I have here promised, I will perform, and keep. So help me God", before kissing the Bible and putting the royal sign-manual to the oath as the Bible was returned to the dean of Westminster. From him the moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, James Pitt-Watson, took the Bible and presented it to Elizabeth again, saying,
Our gracious Queen: to keep your Majesty ever mindful of the law and the Gospel of God as the Rule for the whole life and government of Christian Princes, we present you with this Book, the most valuable thing that this world affords. Here is Wisdom; This is the royal Law; These are the lively Oracles of God.
Elizabeth returned the book to Pitt-Watson, who placed it back with the dean of Westminster.
The communion service was then conducted, involving prayers by both the clergy and Elizabeth, Fisher asking, "O God... Grant unto this thy servant Elizabeth, our Queen, the spirit of wisdom and government, that being devoted unto thee with her whole heart, she may so wisely govern, that in her time thy Church may be in safety, and Christian devotion may continue in peace", before reading various excerpts from the First Epistle of Peter, Psalms, and the Gospel of Matthew. Elizabeth was then anointed as the choir sang "Zadok the Priest"; the Queen's jewellery and crimson cape were removed by Lord Ancaster and the mistress of the robes, the Duchess of Devonshire and, wearing only a simple, white linen dress also designed by Hartnell to completely cover the coronation gown, she moved to be seated in King Edward's Chair. There, Fisher, assisted by the dean of Westminster, made a cross on her forehead, hands and breast with holy oil made from the same base as had been used in the coronation of her father. At her request, the anointing ceremony was not televised.
From the altar, the dean passed to the lord great chamberlain the spurs, which were presented to Elizabeth and then placed back on the altar. The Sword of State was then handed to Elizabeth, who, after a prayer was uttered by Fisher, placed it herself on the altar, and the peer who had been previously holding it took it back again after paying a sum of 100 shillings. Elizabeth was then invested with the Armills (bracelets), Stole Royal, Robe Royal and the Sovereign's Orb, followed by the Queen's Ring, the Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross and the Sovereign's Sceptre with Dove. With the first two items on and in her right hand and the latter in her left, Queen Elizabeth II was crowned by the archbishop of Canterbury, with the crowd chanting "God save the queen!" three times at the exact moment St Edward's Crown touched the monarch's head. The princes and peers gathered then put on their coronets and a 21-gun salute was fired from the Tower of London.
With the benediction read, Elizabeth moved to the throne and the archbishop of Canterbury and all the bishops offered to her their fealty, after which, while the choir sang, the peers of the United Kingdom—led by the royal peers: Elizabeth's husband; her uncle Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester; and her cousin Prince Edward, Duke of Kent—each proceeded, in order of precedence, to pay their personal homage and allegiance. After the royal peers, the 5 most senior peers, one for each rank, offered their fealty as representatives of the peerage of the United Kingdom: Norfolk for dukes, Huntly for marquesses, Shrewsbury for earls, Arbuthnott for viscounts and Mowbray for barons.
When the last baron had completed this task, the assembly shouted "God save Queen Elizabeth. Long live Queen Elizabeth. May the Queen live for ever!" Having removed all her royal regalia, Elizabeth knelt and took the communion, including a general confession and absolution, and, along with the congregation, recited the Lord's Prayer.
Now wearing the Imperial State Crown and holding the Sceptre with the Cross and the Orb, and as the gathered guests sang "God Save the Queen", Elizabeth left Westminster Abbey through the nave and apse, out the Great West Door.
Music :
Although many had assumed that the master of the Queen's Music, Sir Arnold Bax, would be the director of music for the coronation, it was decided instead to appoint the organist and master of the choristers at the abbey, William McKie, who had been in charge of music at the royal wedding in 1947. McKie convened an advisory committee with Sir Arnold Bax and Sir Ernest Bullock, who had directed the music for the previous coronation.
When it came to choosing the music, tradition required that Handel's Zadok the Priest and Parry's I was glad were included amongst the anthems. Other choral works included were the anonymous 16th century anthem "Rejoice in the Lord alway" and Samuel Sebastian Wesley's Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace. Another tradition was that new works be commissioned from the leading composers of the day: Ralph Vaughan Williams composed a new motet O Taste and See, William Walton composed a setting for the Te Deum, and the Canadian composer Healey Willan wrote an anthem O Lord our Governor. Four new orchestral pieces were planned; Arthur Bliss composed Processional; Walton, Orb and Sceptre; and Arnold Bax, Coronation March. Benjamin Britten had agreed to compose a piece, but he caught influenza and then had to deal with flooding at Aldeburgh, so nothing was forthcoming. Edward Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 in D was played immediately before Bax's march at the end of the ceremony. An innovation, at the suggestion of Vaughan Williams, was the inclusion of a hymn in which the congregation could participate. This proved controversial and was not included in the programme until Elizabeth had been consulted and found to be in favour; Vaughan Williams wrote an elaborate arrangement of the traditional metrical psalm, the Old Hundredth, which included military trumpet fanfares and was sung before the communion. Gordon Jacob wrote a choral arrangement of God Save the Queen, also with trumpet fanfares.
The choir for the coronation was a combination of the choirs of Westminster Abbey, St Paul's Cathedral, the Chapel Royal, and Saint George's Chapel, Windsor. In addition to those established choirs, the Royal School of Church Music conducted auditions to find twenty boy trebles from parish church choirs representing the various regions of the United Kingdom. Along with twelve trebles chosen from various British cathedral choirs, the selected boys spent the month beforehand training at Addington Palace. The final complement of choristers comprised 182 boy trebles, 37 male altos, 62 tenors and 67 basses. The orchestra, of 60 players, was drawn from the leading members of British symphony orchestras and chamber ensembles. Each of the 18 violinists, headed by Paul Beard, was the leader of a major orchestra or chamber group. The conductor was Sir Adrian Boult, who had conducted the orchestra at the previous coronation.
Celebrations, monuments and media :
All across the Queen's realms, the rest of the Commonwealth, and in other parts of the world, coronation celebrations were held. The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal was also presented to thousands of recipients throughout the Queen's realms and in Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the UK, commemorative coins were issued. Three million bronze coronation medallions were ordered by the Canadian government, struck by the Royal Canadian Mint and distributed to schoolchildren across the country; the obverse showed Elizabeth's effigy and the reverse the royal cypher above the word CANADA, all circumscribed by ELIZABETH II REGINA CORONATA MCMLIII.
As at the coronation of George VI, acorns shed from oaks in Windsor Great Park, near Windsor Castle, were shipped around the Commonwealth and planted in parks, school grounds, cemeteries and private gardens to grow into what are known as Royal Oaks or Coronation Oaks.
In London, the Queen hosted a coronation luncheon, for which the recipe coronation chicken was devised, and a fireworks show was mounted on Victoria Embankment. Further, street parties were mounted around the United Kingdom. The Coronation Cup football tournament was held at Hampden Park, Glasgow in May, and two weeks before the coronation, the children's literary magazine Collins Magazine rebranded itself as The Young Elizabethan. News that Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay had reached the summit of Mount Everest arrived in Britain on Elizabeth's coronation day; the New Zealand, American, and British media dubbed it "a coronation gift for the new Queen". In the following month, a pageant took place over the River Thames as a coronation tribute to the Queen.
Military tattoos, horse races, parades, and fireworks displays were mounted in Canada. The country's governor general, Vincent Massey, proclaimed the day a national holiday and presided over celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, where the Queen's coronation speech was broadcast and her personal royal standard flown from the Peace Tower. Later, a public concert was held on Parliament Hill and the Governor General hosted a ball at Rideau Hall. In Newfoundland, 90,000 boxes of sweets were given to children, some having theirs delivered by Royal Canadian Air Force drops, and in Quebec, 400,000 people turned out in Montreal, some 100,000 at Jeanne-Mance Park alone. A multicultural show was put on at Exhibition Place in Toronto, square dances and exhibitions took place in the Prairie provinces and in Vancouver the Chinese community performed a public lion dance. On the Korean Peninsula, Canadian soldiers serving in the Korean War acknowledged the day by firing red, white, and blue coloured smoke shells at the enemy and drank rum rations.
Later events :
Coronation Review of the Fleet :
On 15 June 1953, the Queen attended a fleet review at Spithead, off the coast at Portsmouth. Commanded by Admiral Sir George Creasy were 197 Royal Navy warships, together with 13 from the Commonwealth and 16 from foreign navies, as well as representative vessels from the British Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets. There were more British and Commonwealth naval ships present than at the 1937 coronation review, though a third of them were frigates or smaller vessels. Major Royal Navy units included Britain's last battleship, HMS Vanguard, and four fleet and three light aircraft carriers. The Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy also each included a light carrier in their contingents, HMAS Sydney and HMCS Magnificent.
Using the frigate HMS Surprise as a royal yacht, the Queen and royal family started to review the lines of anchored ships at 3:30 p.m., finally anchoring at 5:10 p.m. This was followed by a fly-past of Fleet Air Arm aircraft. Forty naval air squadrons participated, with 327 aircraft flying from four naval air stations; the formation was led by Rear Admiral Walter Couchman flying a de Havilland Sea Vampire. After the Queen transferred to Vanguard for dinner, the day concluded with the Illumination of the fleet and a fireworks display.
Honours of Scotland :
During a week-long visit to Scotland, on 24 June 1953, the Queen attended a national service of thanksgiving at St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh, during which she was ceremonially presented with the Honours of Scotland, the Scottish crown jewels. Following a carriage procession through the city escorted by the Royal Company of Archers, the service, led by the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, James Pitt-Watson, was attended by a congregation of 1,700 drawn from all sections of Scottish society.[84] The high point of the event was the presentation of the Honours, which the queen received from the Dean of the Thistle, Charles Warr, and then passed the Crown of Scotland to the Duke of Hamilton, the Sword of State to the Earl of Home, and the Sceptre to the Earl of Crawford and Balcarres. It was the first time that this ceremony had been enacted since 1822 during the visit of King George IV.
The queen was dressed in "day clothes" complete with a handbag, rather than in ceremonial robes, which was taken as a slight to Scotland's dignity by the Scottish press. The decision not to dress formally was made by the Private Secretary to the Sovereign, Sir Alan Lascelles, and Sir Austin Strutt, a senior civil servant at the Home Office. In the official painting of the ceremony by Stanley Cursiter, the offending handbag was tactfully omitted.
Coronation Review of the RAF :
On 15 July 1953, the Queen attended a review of the Royal Air Force at RAF Odiham in Hampshire. The first part of the review was a march past by contigents representing the various commands of the RAF, with Bomber Command leading. This was followed by four de Havilland Venoms of the Central Fighter Establishment making the Royal Cypher in skywriting. After lunch, the queen in an open car toured the lines of some 300 aircraft that were arranged in a static display. She returned to the central dias for the flypast of 640 British and Commonwealth aircraft, of which 440 were jet-powered. The flypast was led by a Bristol Sycamore helicopter which was towing a large RAF Ensign, while the final aircraft was a prototype Supermarine Swift flown by test pilot Mike Lithgow. Finally, the skywriting Venoms spelled out the word "vivat".
Titles, styles, honours, and arms :
•Titles and styles
21 April 1926 – 11 December 1936: Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth of York
11 December 1936 – 20 November 1947: Her Royal Highness The Princess Elizabeth
20 November 1947 – 6 February 1952: Her Royal Highness The Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh
6 February 1952 – 8 September 2022: Her Majesty The Queen
Elizabeth held many titles and honorary military positions throughout the Commonwealth, was sovereign of many orders in her own countries, and received honours and awards from around the world. In each of her realms, she had a distinct title that follows a similar formula: Queen of Saint Lucia and of Her other Realms and Territories in Saint Lucia, Queen of Australia and Her other Realms and Territories in Australia, etc. In the Channel Islands and Isle of Man, which are Crown Dependencies rather than separate realms, she was known as Duke of Normandy and Lord of Mann, respectively. Additional styles include Defender of the Faith and Duke of Lancaster.
When conversing with Elizabeth, the correct etiquette was to address her initially as Your Majesty and thereafter as Ma'am (pronounced /mæm/), with a short 'a' as in jam.
•Arms :
From 21 April 1944 until her accession, Elizabeth's arms consisted of a lozenge bearing the royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom differenced with a label of three points argent, the centre point bearing a Tudor rose and the first and third a cross of St George. Upon her accession, she inherited the various arms her father held as sovereign. Elizabeth also possessed royal standards and personal flags for use in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, and elsewhere.
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