A fanfare sounds. The Abbey bells ring for two minutes and a gun salute is fired by the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery stationed at Horse Guards Parade. The King and Queen arrive at the West Gate of the Abbey. The state trumpeters of the Household Cavalry, stationed in the Abbey, sound a fanfare.

In the investiture, the King puts on a sleeveless white garment called the colobium sindonis, a shimmering gold-sleeved coat called the supertunica and a golden coronation girdle around his waist. The principal decorations for the processional route were in The Mall where there were four twin-spanned arches of tubular steel that were illuminated at night. The arches were lifted into place by giant mobile cranes. Linking the arches down the route were the long lines of standards mounted with golden crowns and each hung with four scarlet banners bearing the Royal Monogram. The recipe for the Anointing Oil contains oils of orange, roses, cinnamon, musk and ambergris. Usually a batch is made to last a few Coronations, but in May 1941 a bomb hit the Deanery destroying the phial, so a new batch was made. Brambles Farm Social Club is welcoming the community to their King's Coronation Family Fun Day Weekend, on the Saturday and Sunday of the bank holiday weekend from 12pm until 8pm. The events will have everything from inflatables, assault courses, stalls, face painters and crafts. In 1937, the 11 year old Princess Elizabeth had watched her father, King George VI, crowned in the elaborate ceremony and 16 years later on 2 June 1953, her own official coronation was to take place.

Add to basket

It's almost time for King Charles III's Coronation at Westminster Abbey. Alongside wife Camilla, he will officially be crowned monarch this Saturday, May 6. Coronations have been held at Westminster Abbey for 900 years and The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was to follow suit. But the Coronation of 1953 was ground-breaking in it's own right – the first ever to be televised, it was watched by 27 million people in the UK alone and millions more audiences around the world. Here are 50 little known facts about that remarkable day on 2 June 1953:

approx – The crowning – the King is crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury with St Edward’s Crown. The Sovereign's procession was made up of 250 people including Church leaders, Commonwealth Prime Ministers, members of the Royal Household, civil and military leaders and the Yeoman of the Guard. The King puts on the stole royal – a long, narrow embroidered band of gold silk which goes around the shoulders, mirroring outfits worn by a priest or a bishop. After the crown, the orb, also made in 1661, was the most important piece of regalia. It is a globe of gold surrounded by a cross girdled by a band of diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphire and pearls with a large amethyst at the summit.On Sunday, May 7, a special Coronation Concert will be staged and broadcast live at Windsor Castle by the BBC and on Monday, May 8, members of the public will be invited to take part in The Big Help Out, which will encourage people to try volunteering and join the work being undertaken to support their local areas. During the recognition, the King stands in the coronation theatre and turns to show himself to the people at each of the four directions – east, south, west and north. He is presented with the coronation bible and takes the oath, and then prays aloud with the King's Prayer. The Queen was crowned in St Edward's Chair, made in 1300 for Edward I and used at every Coronation since that time. It is permanently kept in Westminster Abbey. Gun salutes at the Tower of London are fired by the Honourable Artillery Company, and at all saluting stations throughout the UK, Gibraltar, Bermuda, and ships at sea.

Queen Elizabeth II was crowned on 2 June, 1953 in Westminster Abbey. Her Majesty was the thirty-ninth Sovereign to be crowned at Westminster Abbey. From street parties to craft workshops, concerts and live streams, there are multiple events going on across Teesside over the bank holiday weekend from Saturday, May 6 to Monday, May 8. The Coronation will see The King and Queen Consort officially be crowned at a historic service at Westminster Abbey, which is set to be watched by millions all over the world. The coronation service begins. After the procession, the greeting of the King takes place with chorister Samuel Strachan, 14. The King has a moment of silent prayer and then the Archbishop of Canterbury gives an introduction. Many people camped in The Mall to catch a glimpse of the procession, including a family who had sailed all the way from Australia in a ketch for the occasion. Thousands more celebrated throughout the country and the Commonwealth with street parties. The Prince of Wales steps forward to help dress the King in the golden brocaded cloak, the imperial mantle – or robe royal. Next, the King holds the sovereign's orb, before it is returned to the altar and touches the sovereign's ring, puts on the single white coronation glove to hold the sovereign's sceptre with cross in his right hand, with the sovereign's sceptre with dove in his left, ready to be crowned.Some people in the Abbey witnessed their fourth Coronation. Princess Marie Louise (Queen Victoria's granddaughter) had also seen the Coronations of King Edward VII (1902), King George V (1911) and King George VI (1937). Crowds have gathered in London on the day of the King's coronation while millions around the world will be watching on TV as Charles is crowned at Westminster Abbey alongside Queen Camilla.