The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II

The coronation of Elizabeth II was an enormous logistical operation, and an event of huge cultural significance. As a royal event, it is something which today's public might reasonably struggle to appreciate. More importantly, the coronation was an opportune moment for the royal family to establish the new meaning of the modern monarchy - to both reinforce the idea of continuity and tradition, whilst establishing the new reign of the young queen and her modernizing consort. But the sheer scale of the event, combined with jockeying, senior figures from Churchill to Mountbatten, who felt they should be pivotal, threatened to turn the whole event into a disaster. Now, using hitherto unseen archives and with the co-operation of the Palace, we open up the diaries and papers of those at the heart of the planning and delivery of the event, to reveal the behind the scenes story of the Coronation. We will show that, behind the pageantry and spectacle, there is a lesser known story of bubbling tensions, diplomatic incidents, political wrangling and squabbles over the most minute of details, set against the wider context of a battle between modernity and tradition. Over a period of 18 months, the complexity of the politics and pressures of the occasion would put noses out of joint and stretch everyone's tolerance and stamina to the limit; but in the end the event was a great success.