In 1953 Britain celebrated the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
The event was greeted at the time with widespread national enthusiasm, and xixty years on the images and memories still resonate, partly for their nostalgic appeal but also as a reminder of the importance of ancient, affirming rituals like coronations and of their pageantry, theatre and symbolism.
This book takes a thematic look at coronations from their earliest origins and the meaning of the ceremonial rituals to the precise behind-the-scenes organisation and garments.
It also looks at public responses to coronations over the years, and at how the magnificence of the event from the time of William the Conqueror gradually evolved and rose to new levels with the glorious global (and televised) celebration of 1953.
