Crown, Orb and Sceptre: The True Stories of English Coronations

by David Hilliam (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2002

  $3.28

  Coronations are very public occasions, typically seen as meticulously planned formal ceremonies where everything runs smoothly. But behind the scenes at Westminster Abbey lie extraordinary but true stories of mayhem, confusion and merriment. In this book we travel through one thousand years of England's history to reveal the real characters of its kings and queens. Packed with facts about how the service, traditions, and accessories have changed over the years, Crown, Orb and Sceptre provides both a compelling read and an irreverent guide to one of the most spectacular ceremonies in England's heritage.

• Used

  Hardcover
  2001

  $3.28

  This volume tells the stories of the 38 royal coronations of the English monarchs, from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II. Preliminary chapters recount the story in brief of the early ceremonies of monarchs such as King Edgar and Edward the Confessor, with special sections on the Ancient Coronation Stone at Kingston-upon-Thames, the Stone of Scone, and the Order of Service and the Regalia. It shows how the accessories of ritual evolved and how the service was changed and adapted to suit different styles of monarchy. Individual accounts include: the day that a riot broke out outside Westminster Abbey when William the Conqueror was crowned; how everything went wrong at Edward II's coronation, thanks to Piers Gaveston's part in it; of Henrietta Maria's refusal to be crowned by a protestant, an unfortunate portent for the future of her husband, Charles II; of George IV's preposterous costumes and the exclusion of his wife from the Abbey; of how Edward VII was advised by a fortune-teller of the most propitious date to be crowned; and of the head-lice which rushed out of the King's hair at the ceremony for Henry IV.