10 incredible photos from the Queen's Coronation in 1953

The monarch is making the 67th anniversary this year

02 Jun 2020, 12:42 BST

To mark the Queen's 67th anniversary from her historic Coronation in Westminster Abbey, HELLO! has picked the ten most stunning images from the day that she set off on the road to becoming Britain's longest-ruling monarch.

The monarch shared some behind-the-scenes insights from her 1953 coronation in a BBC documentary series called The Coronation in 2018. Revealing her wicked sense of humour, the monarch spoke about the "horrible" Gold State Coach in which she rode around London and the potential perils of wearing her heavy crown, but the day was also one of great meaning and beauty.

Looking picture perfect, Queen Elizabeth II commenced a monumental day by heading from Buckingham Palace to her coronation at Westminster Abbey.

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Geoffrey Fisher, the Archbishop of Canterbury, presented the Queen with the Sceptre with the Cross during her coronation, a day filled with pomp and pageantry.

The sceptre represents the sovereign's temporal power and is associated with good governance. The sceptre was originally made for Charles II, but has undergone a number of alterations, particularly in 1820 for the coronation of George IV, when an enamelled rose, thistle and shamrock were all added to the monde. The major alteration was made in 1910, when the sceptre was altered to receive the great Cullinan diamond.

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During Her Majesty's coronation, she led the state procession with her Maids of Honour through the stunning Westminster Abbey.

Queen Elizabeth II was assited by six Maids of Honour on the day. Their identities were kept secret until the big day when they were announced and, fun fact, they were given vials of smelling salts in case they became overcome during the event.

The state procession is a formal display of the Sovereign, made up of a group of members of the Royal Family and Great Officers of State.

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During Queen Elizabeth II's coronation ceremony, the newly anointed monarch and members of her Royal Family stood on the balcony of Buckingham Palace watching RAF fly by.

Prince Charles, Princess Anne and Prince Philip joined Her Royal Highness to watch the exciting display.

Prince Charles was the first child to witness his mother's coronation as Sovereign. Princess Anne did not attend the ceremony as she was considered too young.

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Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II posed for a regal photograph following the coronation. The Queen is pictured wearing the Imperial State Crown and her stunning coronation dress. It was recently revealed that the crown jewels were hidden in a cookie tin under a sally port during the second world war to prevent the chance of them falling into the hands of the Nazis.

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This rare photograph offers a bird's-eye view inside Westminster Abbey during the coronation. The service began at 11.15am and lasted almost three hours and was attended by a total of 8,251 guests.

The Coronation service fell into six parts: the recognition, the oath, the anointing, the investiture (which includes the crowning), the enthronement and the homage.

The Queen and her husband Prince Philip rode to Westminster Abbey in the Gold State Coach (also known as the Coronation Coach) for the Queen's ceremony.

The elaborate coach is an enclosed, eight horse-drawn carriage - weighing in at four tonnes - and was originally commissioned to be built in 1760 for around $13,000. Today, considering inflation, the value would be nearly $2 million, though the Queen revealed in The Coronation documentary that the carriage is wildly uncomfortable and not meant to travel long distances.

In this breathtaking portrait of a young Queen Elizabeth II, the royal donned the crown of the kings and queens of England, the same one she wore for her coronation. At more than 2 lbs, she said one can't look down at a speech while wearing it for fear of it falling off or breaking their necks - rather you raise the speech up to your eyes.

Her Majesty received a salute from one of The Life Guards, while one of her royal attendants helped her out of the coach. Prince Philip followed swiftly beside her.

The Queen's Coronation dress, designed by British Fashion designer Norman Hartnell, was made of white satin and embroidered with the emblems of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth in gold and silver thread.

The Queen poses for a portrait in her Coronation robes in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace, surrounded by her family, including the Duke of Edinburgh and their children, Prince Charles and Prince Charles, the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret.