On 2 June 1953, at the age of 25, Elizabeth II ascended the throne in Westminster Abbey to become queen of 16 of the 53 member states in the Commonwealth of Nations, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Union of South Africa, Pakistan and Ceylon.
Her coronation was delayed for a period of one year following the passing of her father, King George VI on 6 February 1952. According to tradition, celebrating a coronation would have been inappropriate during the mourning period of a preceding sovereign.
Queen Elizabeth’s coronation was the first full coronation to be televised and was the world’s first major international event to be broadcast on television. Why not relive the historic day with the original broadcast?
