Queen Elizabeth II was formally crowned during a coronation ceremony at London’s Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953.
Elizabeth, only 27 years old at the time, was accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip, the duke of Edinburgh. She married Philip Mountbatten in 1947. He was made duke of Edinburgh on the eve of their wedding.
A thousand guests attended her coronation, and hundreds of millions listened on the radio and watched it on live television.
The ceremony consisted of traditions that dated back 1,000 years. In a peak moment, Elizabeth delivered the coronation oath, promising to be dedicated to the service of the people of Great Britain and the British Commonwealth. Afterward, Elizabeth and her husband were taken by horse and carriage on a procession route through the streets of London to Buckingham Palace, where she and her family stood on the balcony and waved to a crowd of supporters.
Elizabeth’s father, King George VI, died on Feb. 6, 1952 – and she was immediately proclaimed Britain’s new monarch.
Elizabeth ruled for 70 years before she died on Sept. 8, 2022, at the age of 96. She was the longest-reigning monarch in British history at the time of her death.
