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 memorable images of the preparations and the ceremony itself, 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, it was one of the coldest June days in years, and it poured with rain. 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. 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. Published in association with Westminster Abbey, 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.