The Coronation Book of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth

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Matthew, "Edward VIII (later Prince Edward, duke of Windsor) (1894–1972)", The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 2004 George VI's coronation at Westminster Abbey took place on 12 May 1937, the date previously intended for Edward's coronation. In a break with tradition, his mother Queen Mary attended the ceremony in a show of support for her son. [60] There was no Durbar held in Delhi for George VI, as had occurred for his father, as the cost would have been a burden to the Government of India. [61] Rising Indian nationalism made the welcome that the royal party would have received likely to be muted at best, [62] and a prolonged absence from Britain would have been undesirable in the tense period before the Second World War. Two overseas tours were undertaken, to France and to North America, both of which promised greater strategic advantages in the event of war. [63]

In a time when royalty were expected to marry fellow royalty, it was unusual that Albert had a great deal of freedom in choosing a prospective wife. An infatuation with the already-married Australian socialite Lady Loughborough came to an end in April 1920 when the King, with the promise of the dukedom of York, persuaded Albert to stop seeing her. [33] That year, he met for the first time since childhood Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the youngest daughter of the Earl and Countess of Strathmore. He became determined to marry her. [34] Elizabeth rejected his proposal twice, in 1921 and 1922, reportedly because she was reluctant to make the sacrifices necessary to become a member of the royal family. [35] In the words of Lady Strathmore, Albert would be "made or marred" by his choice of wife. After a protracted courtship, Elizabeth agreed to marry him. [36] About Heathrow Airport: Heathrow's history, LHR Airports, archived from the original on 3 October 2013 , retrieved 9 March 2015 While the King and Queen were in the chapel, the Officers of Arms arranged the procession out of the abbey, which was similar in form to the procession into the abbey. The King and Queen then joined the procession, with the King carrying the Sceptre with the Cross in his right hand and the Orb in his left, while the Queen carried her Sceptre with the Cross in her right hand and the Ivory Rod with the Dove in her left. [43] They proceeded to the West Door of the Abbey as the National Anthem, " God Save the King", was sung. The Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Norway, the King's first cousin and second cousin (representing his father, the King of Norway)

The Litany for Five Voices: "O God the Father of Heaven" (Regalia Procession from Theatre to West Door) See also: 1937 Coronation Honours and King George VI Coronation Medal Commemorative stamp, issued in New Zealand. Another stamp, issued by Swaziland.

Kelly, Ralph (8 August 2017). "A flag for the Empire" (PDF). The Flag Institute. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 August 2023 . Retrieved 13 August 2023. Following the review, in which the King and Queen on the royal yacht passed along seven lines of moored ships, there was a flypast by the Fleet Air Arm, however a planned second pass had to be abandoned because of the misty weather. [84] That night, the assembled ships were illuminated by their own searchlights; the spectacle was famously described on BBC Radio by commentator Lieutenant-Commander Thomas Woodrooffe, who had enjoyed too much naval hospitality and was very drunk. [85] Mass Observation, a research programme aimed at curating a record of everyday life in Britain, had been launched in January 1937. Contributors across the country were invited to record the details of the day of the Coronation in a diary for the project, whether the events of the Coronation were part of this day for them or not. The same exercise was repeated every 12th May in following years, and again when Mass Observation was relaunched in 1981. It continues to be an annual initiative into the 2020s, open to anyone to contribute. [76] Commemorative rail services [ edit ]Weir, Alison (1996). Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy, Revised Edition. London: Random House. ISBN 978-0-7126-7448-5. The Grand Voevod of Alba Julia, the King's double second cousin once removed (representing his father, the King of the Romanians)