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A History of Coronations in Britain: 70 Years of Queen Elizabeth II with Barbara Askew

A History of Coronations in Britain: 70 Years of Queen Elizabeth II with Barbara Askew


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2022 is the Queen's Platinum Jubilee and 2023 marks the 70th anniversary of her Coronation, events that are unprecedented in Britain’s history. This seminar celebrates these anniversaries by examining the English Coronation from Saxon times to the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

The crowning of the sovereign is an ancient ceremony rich in religious significance, historical association and pageantry. We explore the stages of the ceremony from the Proclamation through to the Homage and examine the significance of the various items of the Coronation Regalia. Finally, we hear an account of the ill omens and memorable mishaps that have occurred at coronations throughout the centuries and end with an entertaining account of the coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on June 2, 1953, the first to be genuinely witnessed by the people through the new medium of television.

Led by Barbara Askew, a historian, a London Blue Badge Tourist Guide, an Accredited Lecturer for the Arts Society, and an acknowledged expert on Royalty and Windsor Castle (and the only tour guide to be invited to the weddings of Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank) this seminar will delve into the history and ceremony of royal coronations in England. Participants will gain an insight into the ancient coronation ceremony as well as celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne in 2022 and of her Coronation in 2023.

Barbara Askew is a historian, a London Blue Badge Guide, and a lecturer for the Arts Society. She is an expert on royal history and Windsor Castle for which she has been the Blue Badge Guides' Site Liaison Representative since 1990 and she organises the guided tours of Eton College. She is the only tourist guide to be invited to the royal weddings at Windsor Castle in 2018.

This conversation is suitable for all ages.

90 minutes, including a 30 minute Q&A.

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