The Coronation
On 2 June 1953 after 16 months of planning, Her Majesty the Queen set out to be crowned at Westminster Abbey, watched by millions of people around the world. A ceremony dating back more than 1,000 years was to mark the dawn of a new Elizabethan age. Now, in what has become the longest reign of any British monarch, HM The Queen shares her memories of that day as well as the coronation of her father, King George VI, in 1937.
Exploring the role and symbolic meaning of the Crown Jewels in the centuries-old coronation ceremony, The Coronation shows these objects of astonishing beauty in new high-resolution footage. Amongst the many glorious objects revealed, the film tells the extraordinary story of St Edward’s Crown, which was destroyed after the English Civil War and remade for the coronation of Charles II in 1661. It has only been worn by Her Majesty once, at the moment she was crowned.
Shedding an entirely new perspective on this world-famous event, The Coronation brings together, the eyewitness accounts of those who participated, including the maid of honour who nearly fainted in the Abbey. Using the Queen’s recollections and new footage of the Crown Jewels, The Coronation reveals the story of this glittering ceremony.
The Coronation is a co-production with Smithsonian Channel and ABC Television and distributed by FremantleMedia International.
Credits
PRODUCER AND DIRECTOR
Harvey Lilley
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Anthony Geffen
NARRATOR
Keeley Hawes
ROYAL COMMENTATOR & PROGRAMME CONSULTANT
Alastair Bruce
COMMISSIONING EDITOR
Simon Young
EDITOR
Stuart Davidson
SUPERVISING PRODUCER
Laura Nash
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Mike Robinson
ADDITIONAL CAMERAS
William Hadley
Philip Edkins
Naomi Hancock
Andreea Gruioniu
ORIGINAL MUSIC
Ty Unwin
ADDITIONAL MUSIC
Audio Networks
Cadence
HEAD OF PRODUCTION
Ian Syder
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Samantha Tilyard
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
Cat Pollock
PRODUCTION SECRETARY
Anya Chick
ARCHIVE RESEARCHERS
Jenny Borthwick
Jacqui Edwards
FOR ATLANTIC PRODUCTIONS
Vincent Pretorius
Mimi Gilligan
Claudia Perkins
DUBBING MIXER
Matt Skilton
COLOURIST
Vicki Matich
ONLINE EDITOR
Andrew Mitchell
VISUAL EFFECTS
Zoo LTD
ART DIRECTORS
Gemma Clancy
Alec Walker
LIGHTING
Chis Knoll
Andy Clarke
SOUND RECORDISTS
Simon Pinkerton
Freddie Claire
Marc Hatch
OTHER ARCHIVE SOURCES
Alamy
AP Archive/ British Movietone
BBC Motion Gallery
BFI National Archive
British Pathe
Critical Past
Dean & Chapter of Westminster
Footage Farm
Getty Images
ITV Archive
Mary Evans Picture Library
Mirrorpix
The National Archives
National Portrait Gallery Images
Skyworks
Topfoto
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
PRIVATE CINÉ FILM BY GRACIOUS PERMISSION OF
HM the Queen and
HRH the Duke of Edinburgh
WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO
Historic Royal Palaces
Royal Collection Trust
The Royal Household
Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens
Tower of London
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