# Canonical recap data for Coronation of Elizabeth II (1953)
# Source: https://recap.at/1953/coronation-elizabeth-ii
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: coronation-elizabeth-ii
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1953/coronation-elizabeth-ii"
title: Coronation of Elizabeth II
aliases:
- Coronation of Elizabeth II
- Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation
- Westminster Abbey Coronation 1953
subtitle: The young Queen's coronation in Westminster Abbey marked the beginning of a 70-year reign and defined post-war British pageantry and identity.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1953-06-02
datePrecision: day
year: 1953
decade: 1950
country:
name: United Kingdom
slug: united-kingdom
summaryShort: The coronation of Elizabeth II as queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London. Elizabeth acceded to the throne at the age of 25 upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952, being proclaimed queen by her privy and executive counci
summaryLong: The coronation of Elizabeth II as queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London. Elizabeth acceded to the throne at the age of 25 upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952, being proclaimed queen by her privy and executive councils shortly afterwards. The coronation was held more than one year later because of the tradition of allowing an appropriate length of time to pass after a monarch dies. It also gave the planning committees adequate time to make preparations for the ceremony. During the service, Elizabeth took an oath, was anointed with holy oil, was invested with robes and regalia, and was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon.
lede: On 2 June 1953, Elizabeth II was crowned queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth realms in a ceremony at Westminster Abbey, 16 months after her accession following her father George VI's death. The event marked the formal inauguration of a monarch who would reign for over seven decades, reshaping the institution of the monarchy for the modern age.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7c/Queen_Elizabeth_II_on_her_Coronation_Day.jpg/1280px-Queen_Elizabeth_II_on_her_Coronation_Day.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Coronation of Elizabeth II"
importance: 85
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Date
  value: 2 June 1953
- label: Location
  value: Westminster Abbey, London
- label: Elizabeth II's age at coronation
  value: 26 years old
- label: Television audience
  value: Estimated 20 million in the UK
- label: Time from accession to coronation
  value: 16 months (acceded 6 February 1952)
- label: Estimated attendees at Abbey
  value: 8,251
- label: Reigning monarch duration that followed
  value: 71 years (until 2022)
timeline:
- date: 1952-02-06
  title: Elizabeth accedes to throne
  description: Following the death of George VI on 6 February 1952, Princess Elizabeth is proclaimed queen by her privy and executive councils.
- date: 1953-01-01
  title: New Year Honours
  description: Preparations for the coronation accelerate through the first quarter of 1953.
- date: 1953-06-02
  title: Coronation ceremony
  description: Elizabeth II is crowned queen at Westminster Abbey in the presence of 8,251 guests. The BBC broadcasts the ceremony live on television, reaching an estimated 20 million viewers in the UK and Commonwealth audiences globally.
- date: 1953-06-03
  title: Coronation celebrations begin
  description: Street parties and celebrations across the United Kingdom and Commonwealth nations commence following the formal coronation.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation_of_Elizabeth_II"
  title: Coronation of Elizabeth II
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: Elizabeth II's coronation established the visual and ceremonial template for modern monarchy, broadcast to millions worldwide and demonstrating the power of television to create shared national experience. The event consolidated the Commonwealth as a political entity under the Crown and set the tone for a reign that would span the postwar decolonization era, the Cold War, and profound social transformation.
categories:
- festival
metaDescription: Elizabeth II crowned queen at Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953, reshaping modern monarchy for a televised age.
wikidataQid: Q3797766
taxonomy:
domain: political
eventTypes:
- regime_change
canonicalClasses:
- governance
- celebration
- transformation
impactRadius: global
velocity: sudden
predictability: scheduled
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: transition
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260604093154/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation_of_Elizabeth_II"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-04
  label: Coronation of Elizabeth II
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation_of_Elizabeth_II"
