Coronation of Elizabeth II

Coronation of Elizabeth II

Official coronation portrait taken by Cecil Beaton
Date	2 June 1953; 70 years ago (1953-06-02)
Venue	Westminster Abbey
Location	London, United Kingdom
Budget	£1.57 million (estimates)
Participants	Queen 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 as queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London.^[1] 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. It also gave the planning committees adequate time to make preparations for the ceremony.^[2] 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).^[3]

Celebrations took place across the Commonwealth realms and a commemorative medal was issued. It was the first British coronation to be fully televised; television cameras were not allowed inside the abbey during her parents' coronation in 1937. Elizabeth's was the fourth and final British coronation of the 20th century. It was estimated to have cost £1.57 million (c. £53,571,428 in 2023).