A an of z coronations

Ais for... Archbishop of Canterbury

▶ Almost all English coronations since 1066 have been conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the most senior member of the Church of England. While it is arguably the pinnacle of any archbishop’s service, not all have been dutiful and willing to carry out the high-prestige role. In 1689, the then archbishop, William Sancroft, did not officiate at the joint coronation of William III and Mary II as he failed to acknowledge the legitimacy of their ascension to the throne after the removal of Mary’s father, James VII and II, in the Glorious Revolution. The Bishop of London officiated instead.

Bis for... balcony appearance

▼ When the pomp of the ceremony has finished, and the coronation procession undertaken back to Buckingham Palace from Westminster Abbey, another aspect of modern coronations takes place: an appearance from the newly crowned monarch on the balcony of the palace. The first such appearance was in 1902 when Edward VII and Queen Alexandra stepped out to receive the acclaim of the crowds gathered down below. Since then, a balcony appearance has been a fixture of post-coronation celebrations, and in 1953 was accompanied by a fly-past of massed planes – something that Edward, his coronation a year before the Wright brothers first took to the skies, wasn’t treated to.

Cis for... Cromwell

▲ “I cannot undertake this government with the title of a king, and this is mine answer to this great and weighty business.” In May 1657, Oliver Cromwell – who had signed the death warrant of Charles I eight years earlier – turned down Parliament’s offer of the crown. He was, though, ceremonially reinstalled as lord protector at Westminster Hall one month later. Although he wasn’t crowned, the occasion shared many of the trappings of a coronation: Cromwell wore a purple robe lined with ermine and sat on the Coronation Chair, which had been transported from Westminster Abbey next door.

Dis for... Dunstan

If there is one ch