Coronation of Edward VII and Alexandra
Date | 9 August 1902 |
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Location | Westminster Abbey, London, England |
Participants |
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The
Preparations
The 1838
Illness and postponement
By the time of his accession, the 59-year-old Edward was overweight and fond of large meals and cigars. He launched himself into his new role, but his first busy months on the throne were bedevilled by a succession of illnesses and injuries.[8] On 23 June 1902, three days before the date set for the coronation, Edward and his wife, Alexandra, returned from Windsor Castle to Buckingham Palace in preparation. Foreign journalists noted that he appeared "worn and pale" and was leaning heavily on his cane. That evening, the King and Queen hosted a formal dinner for seventy British and overseas royal guests.
The following day at noon, a telegram marked "OFFICIAL" was dispatched around the Empire, with the news that the coronation was postponed and that the King was undergoing an operation. Shortly afterward, a bulletin was released from Edward's medical team, stating that "The King is suffering from
On 26 June itself, a "solemn service of intercession" was held at
Many people had intended to watch the coronation procession, and rooms along the planned route had been rented out at high rates for the expected day of the coronation. The postponement of the coronation led to many demands for refunds on the rental contracts, resulting in the "Coronation cases", which set an important precedent in the doctrine of frustration of purpose in the English common law of contract.[13] Edward also wrote a letter addressed to his people which was published on the eve of the coronation by the press.[14]
The service
One effect of the postponement was the departure of the foreign delegations, which did not return for the rescheduled ceremony, leaving their countries to be represented by their ambassadors. This made the coronation "a domestic celebration of the British race united by the influence of the Imperial Crown" according to J. E. C. Bodley, the official historian of the event.[15] Among the 8,000 guests at the Abbey were the prime ministers of the British Dominions, thirty-one rulers of the Indian princely states, the Sultan of Perak and the Litunga of Barotseland. The Times enthused that "King Edward is the first of our kings to be attended in his Coronation by an illustrious group of statesmen from our self-governing colonies, as he is the first to be accompanied by a number of the great feudatory Princes of India... They are bound to preserve the fabric of British polity and of British civilisation."[16]
The contents of the service itself had been carefully selected to ensure that its spiritual character was maintained, while keeping the ceremony as brief as possible. The draft was mainly the work of Randall Davidson, the Bishop of Winchester.[17]
The service was conducted by the elderly and infirm Archbishop of Canterbury, Frederick Temple, who died before the end of the year. He steadfastly refused to delegate any part of his duties and had to be supported throughout by two other bishops. Because of his failing eyesight, the text of the service had to be printed in gigantic type onto rolls of paper called "prompt scrolls"; they are preserved in the Lambeth Palace Library.[18] Archbishop Temple provided most of the upsets in an otherwise splendid ceremony; he was unable to rise after kneeling to pay homage and had to be helped up by the King himself and several bishops,[19] he placed the crown back-to-front on the King's head, and when a colleague enquired after his well-being, he was told to "go away!" in a loud voice that was plainly heard by the congregation.[20] The King also deviated from the order of service; when the Prince of Wales touched the Crown and kissed his father's left cheek in the traditional gesture of homage, the King rose to his feet and threw his arms around his son's neck in an unusual display of affection. Another disruption came from the King's sister, Princess Beatrice, who accidentally (but noisily) dropped her service book from the royal gallery onto a gold-plate table.[21]
Because he was still convalescing, Edward had been crowned with the Imperial State Crown instead of the heavier St Edward's Crown. Alexandra was crowned immediately after her husband[22] by William Dalrymple Maclagan, Archbishop of York,[23] with a new crown containing the Koh-i-Noor diamond.[6]
Music
On receiving his commission as Director of Music, it was made clear to Frederick Bridge that the coronation needed music of sufficient majesty and grandeur to make the event unparalleled in history. He was assisted by Sir
The music was performed by a choir of 430, a 65-piece orchestra and 10 State Trumpeters. At the 1838 coronation, the organist had attempted to play the instrument and conduct at the same time, with the result that neither function was satisfactory.
Procession
The Procession in State was originally to have included military contingents from Germany, Austria-Hungary, Denmark, Russia and Portugal.[11] However, following the postponement, these returned home, leaving the parade a wholly British and Imperial affair. Out of a total of 30,000 men marching or lining the route, over 2,000 were representatives of colonial, Dominion or Indian forces. The remainder represented every corps and regiment of the British Army, the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines.[11] A procession of carriages carried British and overseas dignitaries and was followed by the King's equerries, aides-de-camp and eminent commanders including Lord Kitchener, Lord Roberts and Lord Wolseley.[31]
The route of the procession, watched by a crowd estimated at one million, went from Parliament Square along Whitehall to Trafalgar Square, then along Pall Mall, St James's Street and Piccadilly to Hyde Park Corner, and finally down Constitution Hill.[32] On their return to Buckingham Palace, the King and Queen appeared on the balcony to greet the crowds, which set a precedent for later coronations.[14]
A second procession, which had been planned for the day after the coronation service to tour the City of London and Southwark, was postponed until 25 October because of the King's health.[33]
Coronation Review of the Fleet
Aside from the postponed procession, the final coronation event was the
On the morning of the review, the King had an audience aboard the
Royal guests
British royal family
- The Prince and Princess of Wales, the King and Queen's son and daughter-in-law
- Prince Edward of Wales, the King and Queen's grandson
- Prince Albert of Wales, the King and Queen's grandson
- The Princess Louise, Duchess of Fife and the Duke of Fife, the King and Queen's daughter and son-in-law
- Lady Alexandra Duff, the King and Queen's granddaughter
- The Princess Victoria, the King and Queen's daughter
- Princess and Prince Carl of Denmark, the King and Queen's daughter and son-in-law
- Princess and Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, the King's sister and brother-in-law
- Prince Albert of Schleswig-Holstein, the King's nephew
- Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, the king's niece
- Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein, the king's niece
- The Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll and the Duke of Argyll, the King's sister and brother-in-law
- The Duke and Duchess of Connaught and Strathearn, the King's brother and sister-in-law
- Princess Margaret of Connaught, the King's niece
- Prince Arthur of Connaught, the king's nephew
- Princess Patricia of Connaught, the king's niece
- The Duchess of Albany, the King's sister-in-law
- Princess Alice of Albany, the King's niece
- The Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Duke of Albany), the King's nephew
- Princess Henry of Battenberg, the King's sister
- Prince Alexander of Battenberg, the King's nephew
- Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, the King's niece
- Prince Leopold of Battenberg, the King's nephew
- Prince Maurice of Battenberg, the King's nephew
- The Crown Princess and Crown Prince of Romania, the King's niece and nephew-in-law (also second cousin once removed) (representing his uncle, the King of the Romanians)
- Princess Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the King's niece
- Princess Louis of Battenberg, the King's niece
- Princess Alice of Battenberg, the King's great-niece
- Princess Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, widow of the King's half-first cousin
- Countess Feodora Gleichen,the King's half-first cousin once removed
- Count Edward Gleichen, the King's half-first cousin once removed
- Countess Valda Gleichen, the King's half-first cousin once removed
- Countess Helena Gleichen, the King's half-first cousin once removed
Other descendants of the King's maternal great-grandfather,
- Princess Frederica of Hanover and Baron Alphons von Pawel-Rammingen, the King's second cousin and her husband
- The Duke of Cambridge, the King's first cousin once removed
- Adolphus FitzGeorge, the King's second cousin
- Augustus FitzGeorge, the King's second cousin
- The Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the King's first cousin once removed
- Duke Adolphus Frederick of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the king's second cousin once removed (representing his grandfather, the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz)
- The Duke and Duchess of Teck, the King's second cousin and his wife
- Prince Francis of Teck, the King's second cousin
- Prince Alexander of Teck, the King's second cousin
- The Earl of Munster, the King's second cousin once removed
Foreign royals
- The Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, the King's nephew
- German Emperor)
- The Crown Prince of Denmark, the Queen's brother (representing his father, the King of Denmark)
- The Duke and Duchess of Sparta, the Queen's nephew and the King's niece (representing his father, the King of the Hellenes)
- Prince George of Greece and Denmark, the Queen's nephew
- Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, the Queen's nephew
- The Prince of Leiningen, the King's half-first cousin
- Albert von Mensdorff-Pouilly-Dietrichstein, the king's second cousin
- Ras Makonnen Wolde Mikael (representing his cousin, the Emperor of Ethiopia)
- Princess Edward of Saxe-Weimar (representing his cousin, the Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach)
- Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia and Countess de Torby
- The Maharaja of Kolhapur
- The Maharaja of Bikaner
- The Maharaja of Cooch Behar
- The Maharaja of Idar
- The Maharaja of Gwalior[36]
- The Aga Khan
- The King of Barotseland
- The Sultan of Perak
- Prince and Princess Victor Duleep Singh
- Prince Frederick Duleep Singh
- Princess Bamba Duleep Singh
- Princess Catherine Duleep Singh
- Princess Sophia Duleep Singh
- Raja Sir Harnam Singh Ahluwalia, representing the Christians of India
Guests at the service of intercession
The following guests who were due to attend the coronation in June before its postponement attended the intercession service on the same day but not the coronation in August:
- Russian Emperor)
- The Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, the Queen's first cousin once removed (representing his father, the Grand Duke of Luxembourg)
- Prince Albert of Belgium, the King's second cousin (representing his uncle, the King of the Belgians)
- The Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the King's second cousin (representing his father, the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz)
- The Crown Prince of Montenegro, husband of the late King's second cousin once removed (representing his father, the Prince of Montenegro)
- Prince Philipp of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the King's second cousin
- Duke Robert of Württemberg, the King's second cousin once removed (representing his cousin, the King of Württemberg)
- The Prince Royal of Portugal, the King's second cousin twice removed (representing his father, the King of Portugal)
- The Crown Prince of Sweden and Norway, the king's third cousin twice removed (representing his father, the King of Sweden and Norway)
- Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria (representing his uncle, the Emperor of Austria)
- Prince Leopold of Bavaria (representing his father, the Prince Regent of Bavaria)
- Prince Zaizhen of China (representing his cousin, the Emperor of China)
- Prince Mohammed Ali of Egypt (representing his brother, the Khedive of Egypt and Sudan)
- King of Italy)
- Prince Komatsu Akihito (representing his cousin, the Emperor of Japan)
- Prince Yi Kang (representing his father, the Emperor of Korea)
- The Hereditary Prince of Monaco (representing his father, the Prince of Monaco)
- Prince Mass'oud Mirza of Persia (representing his brother, the Shah of Persia)
- Prince Johann Georg of Saxony (representing his uncle, the King of Saxony)
- The Crown Prince of Siam (representing his father, the King of Siam)
- Infante Carlos of Spain (representing his brother-in-law, the King of Spain)
- Prince Said Ali (representing the Sultan of Zanzibar)[37][38][39]
See also
- List of British coronations
- The Coronation of Edward VII, a film reenacting the ceremony
- King Edward VII Coronation Medal
- King Edward VII Police Coronation Medal
- Canadian Coronation Contingent
- Hokitika Clock Tower
References
- ISBN 978-1-4670-0587-6.
- ISBN 978-0-7546-5208-3(pp. 115–116)
- ISBN 978-1-107-02344-4(pp. 225–262)
- ISBN 978-0-334-04193-1(p. 80)
- S2CID 143628645.
- ^ a b c d e f Johnson, Donald Clay (September 2012). "Queen Alexandra's 1902 Coronation Gown". Textile Society of America. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
- OCLC 1089571878.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7011-7614-3(pp. 366–367)
- ^ a b c "The Postponed Coronation and Appendix Operation of King Edward VII – 24 June 1902". blog.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk. The British Newspaper Archive. 23 June 2013. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
- ^ Hopkins, J Castell (1910), The Life of King Edward VII: With a Sketch of the Career of King George V, Project Gutenberg (pp. 386–387)
- ^ a b c d e "The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Life of King Edward VII, by J. Castell Hopkins". www.gutenberg.org. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
- ISBN 978-0-566-05066-4(p. 33)
- ^ See, e.g., Krell v Henry [1903] 2 KB 740.
- ^ a b "Coronations and the Royal Archives". www.royal.uk. The Royal Family. Archived from the original on 18 April 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
- ISBN 0-7190-6143-1(p. 101)
- ^ Richards (pp. 103–104)
- ^ "Lambeth Palace Library Research Guide: Sources for the Coronation" (PDF). www.lambethpalacelibrary.org. Lambeth Palace Library. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2013. (p. 14)
- ^ Lambeth Palace Library Research Guide (p. 19)
- ^ Hopkins (p. 415)
- ISBN 9781448161119. Retrieved 11 March 2023 – via Google Books.
- ^ Dennison, pp. 233–234
- ^ Hopkins (pp. 413–414)
- ISBN 0-09-456560-0.
- ^ Cowgill & Rushton (p. 117)
- ^ Richards (p. 104)
- ^ Beeson (p. 80)
- ISBN 978-1108445092.
- ^ "Edward VII Coronation Music" (PDF). www.westminster-abbey.org. Dean and Chapter of Westminster. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
- ISBN 978-1-107-02344-4.
- ^ Cowgill & Rushton (pp. 124–125)
- ^ Hopkins (p. 373)
- ^ "From the Archives, 1902: The king is crowned, long live the king". www.smh.com.au. The Sydney Morning Herald. 8 August 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
- ^ "Royal Visit to the City and South London." (p. 7), 25 October 1902, The Mercury (Hobart, Tasmania), Trove Digitised Newspapers, National Library of Australia. Accessed 22 December 2013
- ISBN 978-0-253-35214-9(p. 24)
- ^ Hopkins (p. 419)
- ^ "No. 27489". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 October 1902. p. 6874.
- ^ "Royal Guests at the Coronation of Edward VII". www.chatsworth.org. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
- ^ "Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, with the Annual Message of the President Transmitted to Congress December 2, 1902 - Office of the Historian".
- ^ "The coronation of Edward the Seventh : A chapter of European and imperial history". 1903.
External links
- "The Coronation of King Edward VII". www.iwm.org.uk. Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 26 July 2023. – newsreel film of the coronation procession at Horse Guards and Hyde Park Corner
- Music Performed at the Coronation of King Edward VII: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
- "Westminster Abbey – Edward VII Coronation Music, 1902" (PDF). www.westminster-abbey.org. The Dean and Chapter of Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
- "Postponed Coronation of King Edward VII (1902)". www.britishpathe.com. British Pathé. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
Various shots London decorated for the postponed Coronation of King Edward VII.
- "Coronation Of Edward VII (1902)". www.britishpathe.com. British Pathé. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
Scenes from the Coronation Parade of King Edward VII in London.