The Throne

In all, thirty-nine coronations have been held in Westminster Abbey, beginning with Harold II on 6 January 1066. Only two monarchs - Edward V and Edward VIII - were uncrowned, and a further twenty or so Scottish monarchs were crowned usually at either Scone Abbey or Holyrood Abbey. In The Throne, Ian Lloyd will turn his inimitable, quick-witted style to these key events in British royal history, providing fascinating anecdotes and interesting facts: from William the Conqueror's Christmas Day crowning when jubilant shouts were mistaken by his guards as an assassination attempt to the dual coronation of William and Mary in 1689, and from the pared-back 'Half Crown-ation' of William IV to the televised spectacle of Elizabeth II's 1953 ceremony. With the spectacle of the first coronation in seventy years promised in May 2023, Lloyd also introduces key elements of the service, such as the Coronation Chair made for King Edward I and the famously uncomfortable Gold State Coach, as well as changes in the Crown Jewels over the centuries. This will be a bright, accessible celebration of British culture and the ultimate pomp of royalty.