Following the documentary on her grandparents,
King George V and Queen Mary, in the same series, Queen Elizabeth II will be the focus of Part of
the Royal Season: By Royal Invitation which
will premiere on BBC Knowledge
(channel 184 on DStv) on June 2 at 21h00.
After the death of her father, King George
VI, on February 6, 1952, the young Princess Elizabeth immediately became Head of
State of the United Kingdom and Head of the Commonwealth. However, there were
many months of planning before her formal coronation on June 2, 1953.
This fascinating documentary tells the
behind-the-scenes story of the momentous occasion, looking at the enormous
logistical operation involved and the issues that threatened to turn the whole
thing into a disaster.
The coronation was an event of huge
cultural significance, seen as an opportune moment for the British royal family
to establish the meaning of the modern monarchy – reinforcing the idea of
continuity and tradition, while establishing the new reign of the young queen
and her modernising consort, the Duke of Edinburgh.
By opening up the diaries and papers of
those at the heart of the planning and delivery of the event, The Coronation shows the lesser-known
story behind the pageantry and spectacle. It is a tale of bubbling tensions,
diplomatic incidents, political wrangling and disputes over the tiniest
details, set against the wider context of a battle between modernity and
tradition.
Over a period of 18 months – and even on
the morning of the coronation itself – the complexity of the politics and
pressures of the occasion stretched everyone’s tolerance and stamina to the
limit, thanks to the sheer scale of the event combined with the jockeying by
senior figures, from Prime Minister Winston Churchill to Prince Philip’s uncle,
Lord Louis Mountbatten, for pivotal roles.
Posts
