And it’s all portraiture, photographs and items of Her Majesty’s dress and jewellery, including the Coronation Dress, Robe of Estate and the Coronation Necklace and Earrings.
Paying homage to Her Majesty and her sensational 70 years on the throne, the exhibition will give you unfettered access to the Queen at a time when her life changed.
The Queen’s Coronation, which took place at Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953, was one of the most significant occasions of the 20th century.
The event was a source of national celebration, seen to usher in a new age of progress and a spirit of optimism in post-war Britain. Three million people lined the processional route in London and many more took part in church services and street parties across the country. An estimated 27 million people – over half of the UK population – watched the Coronation service on television, while a further 11 million listened to the radio broadcast.
All the Queen’s brooches
If there’s one thing you’d’ve noticed about Queen Elizabeth, is that she loves a brooch.
This exhibition will have a great number of them and display them for the first time is a group of four brooches belonging to Her Majesty, each representing a nation of the United Kingdom, with a sprig of shamrock for Northern Ireland, sprays of daffodils for Wales, thistles for Scotland and roses for England. The brooches are made of gold, set with white, pink and yellow diamonds and, for the shamrock, emeralds.
The Queen has worn these brooches on numerous occasions, often while visiting the nation represented by the emblem.
Also on display are brooches representing the emblems of some Commonwealth countries. These include the Canadian Maple-leaf Brooch, worn by Her Majesty (then Princess Elizabeth) on her first visit to Canada in 1951; the Flame-Lily Brooch, the emblem of Zimbabwe, which was pinned to The Queen’s mourning clothes when she returned to Britain from Kenya after the death of her father in 1952; the New Zealand Silver Fern Brooch, the Australian Wattle Brooch, and the Sri Lanka Brooch.
For more on this very unique and special exhibition at the Queen’s preferred residence, Windsor Castle, find out more at the Royal Collection Trust website.
Platinum Jubilee: The Queen’s Coronation will be part of a visit to Windsor Castle from 7 July – 26 September 2022 and is included in the price of a general admission ticket. Windsor Castle is open to visitors Thursday to Monday, remaining closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. For tickets and visitor information: www.rct.uk