Royal Rivalry | Behind The Queen’s Coronation | Real Royalty

The Coronation in 1953 appeared to be a glittering triumph for the House of Windsor. But behind the scenes there was a three-cornered story of jealousy and rivalry at the highest level. The new Queen was caught in the middle.

While the new Queen largely sided with her mother over arrangements for the Coronation, she backed Philip over perhaps the most important decision to televise the ceremony inside Westminster Abbey. In doing so she set a precedent for television to be given access to the most intimate rituals.

The Queen's Coronation: Behind Closed Doors - Real Stories

Britain's Unrequited Love

GATESTONE INSTITUTE: Willing to be endlessly open and hospitable, Britain finds itself at a loss when that hospitality is neither respected nor returned.

It is worth asking why British Muslims should have their scripture represented in the coronation of the new monarch, when many will not even pray in their mosques for the well-being of that monarch. Including passages from the Quran in the coronation is a mistake because of the old problem of reciprocity — and at the same time as no Christian (let alone a Jew) can even set foot in Mecca. Then what about also representing Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, and atheists?

In synagogues in the UK, British Jews every week in their service have a prayer for the long life and happiness of the Queen. It is a moving and heartfelt moment, not to mention a clear signal that Jews in Britain are utterly loyal to the state. So why should British mosques not have a similar prayer? Because many Muslims in Britain simply do not share the good Lord Harries's kindness, tolerance, inclusivity or indeed liberalism.

What is the answer? Perhaps bit more kindness, a bit more generosity, the offering up of a few more of our treasured traditions. That will do it, we think, surely?

The tradition of liberal tolerance, fostered in Britain, was one of the greatest gifts this country gave to the world. That inclusive tradition of John Locke and John Stuart Mill, however, always leaves itself open to abuse by people willing to use liberalism's flaws — not least its tolerance of intolerance — to end liberalism. » | Douglas Murray | Monday, December 08, 2014

The Coronation 60th Anniversary Service of HM Queen Elizabeth II
Sixty years after being crowned, Her Majesty the Queen returns to Westminster Abbey for a service of celebration. There she is joined by her children and grandchildren, along with other members of the Royal Family. The choir performs music sung at the coronation in 1953; and the prayers and readings echo rituals that go back a thousand years. Sophie Raworth talks to people who witnessed the coronation first hand: the photographer who had a bird's eye view from his vantage point high up in the roof; the eleven-year-old choirboys who, between rehearsals, tried out the coronation chair for size; and the Queen's cousin, who remembers the new monarch looking very young and alone amidst all the pomp and ceremony.

Queen Arrives at Westminster Abbey for Service Celebrating Her 60 Years on the Throne
The Queen, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, was welcomed to Westminster Abbey today for a special religious service to mark the 60th anniversary of her coronation.

Read the short article here | Tuesday, June 04, 2013

Next Coronation to Involve Other Faiths Besides Christianity

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The coronation of the next monarch will include a role for people of other faiths besides Christianity, in a break with a thousand years of history, The Sunday Telegraph has learnt.

Church of England leaders have accepted the need to be “hospitable” to other faiths within any future service at Westminster Abbey, in order to reflect the spiritual diversity of modern Britain.

The Church has resisted calls for a multi-faith service in recent years, preferring to stress that the Christian nature of the coronation is preserved by law.

Senior church figures told this newspaper [t] that it was now accepted that other faiths should be recognised within the coronation service for the first time.

It will not, however, be a “multi-faith” service in the sense of a ceremony that treats all faiths as equal.

Representatives of other religions are likely to be asked to participate in a neutral symbolic act such as the lighting of candles, or to read from a text expressing shared values, rather than praying out loud or reading their own sacred texts.

The Church considers the coronation to be a royal ordination, setting apart the monarch for a sacred purpose under God, and will resist any compromise of that. » | Cole Moreton | Saturday, May 18, 2013

Kaiserkrönung in Teheran: Aus der NZZ vom 26. Oktober 1967
NZZ ONLINE: 1967 krönt Schah Mohammed Reza Pahlevi an seinem 48. Geburtstag sich und seine Frau Farah Diba zum Kaiser und zur Kaiserin von Persien. Nach einem Gebet in arabischer Sprache umgürtet sich Reza Pahlevi mit einem Smaragdgürtel und setzt sich die Krone aufs Haupt. Die NZZ beschreibt am 26. Oktober die feierliche Krönungszerermonie und zitiert die Ansprache des Schahs. >>> | Montag, 26. Oktober 2009

Kaiserkrönung in Tehran >>> ag (AFP) | Donnerstag, 26. Oktober 1967

The Coronation of Teheran: Farah Is Crowned >>>

Iran Chamber Society: Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi: Arya Mehr and Shahanshah (King of the Kings) >>>

Coronation HIM Mohamad Reza Shah Pahlavi

Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan:
The Most Colourful Coronation in the World?
The newly –crowned King of Bhutan in the Himalayas: Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. Photo courtesy of The Independent
THE INDEPENDENT: Last month, a new monarch was crowned in the secretive Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. The writer Stanley Johnson was one of a tiny handful of Westerners to receive an invitation. But first he had to get there ... Road to Shangri-la: Stanley Johnson Witnesses the Coronation of Bhutan's New King >>> | December 6, 2008