Queen Elizabeth's Diary Entry Details Her Awe and Boredom During Her Papa's Coronation
Buckingham Palace celebrated the 80th anniversary of the coronation of the Queen's parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. On May 12, 1937, Britons witnessed an extravagant "imperial" ceremony, which an American newspaper aptly described as "the greatest day of splendor England ever saw."
It came after King Edward VIII abdicated in December 1936 and passed on the crown to his younger brother and wife Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon so that he can marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson. It was an event filled with pomp and pageantry that's fitting of a coronation.
The historic episode was well documented by media, but the most heartwarming account came from the present Queen herself, who recorded the rare experience of seeing her father assume the throne when she was just 11. She poured her thoughts of the day in her diary.
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She opened her entry by recalling how she was awakened earlier than usual, at 5:00 a.m., by the Royal Marines band. After a 7:30 a.m. breakfast, she and six-year-old sister Margaret joined other relatives on the carriage en route to Westminster Abbey where they waited for the royal couple.
When her father arrived, the young Elizabeth was awed by the sight of her Papa walking down the aisle, looking "very beautiful in a crimson robe and the Cap of State." She added: "The arches and beams at the top were covered with a sort of haze of wonder as Papa was crowned, at least I thought so."
But the amusement was short-lived as the "inordinately long" ceremony dragged on for hours. "At the end, the service got rather boring as it was all prayers," Elizabeth wrote. When she and her Grannie saw the word "Finis" at the last page, they "smiled at each other" in relief.
The royal family made their way back to the palace and appeared at the balcony before a throng of people — including some who came from far places and spent the night outdoors. The day had been a tiring one for the future Queen that her legs "ached terribly" by bedtime.
