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Coronation of Edward VII and Alexandra

The coronation of Edward VII and his wife, Alexandra, as king and queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions took place at Westminster Abbey, London, on 9 August 1902. Originally scheduled for 26 June of that year, the ceremony had been postponed at very short notice, because the King had been taken ill with an abdominal abscess that required immediate surgery.[1] In contrast to the coronation of Queen Victoria, Edward's mother and predecessor, some 64 years earlier, Edward and Alexandra's coronation had been carefully planned as a spectacle reflecting the influence and culture of the British Empire, then at the height of its power, but also as a meaningful religious occasion.

Coronation of Edward VII and Alexandra
The King and Queen in their coronation robes
Date9 August 1902; 121 years ago (1902-08-09)
LocationWestminster Abbey, London, England
Participants

Preparations edit

The 1838 coronation of Queen Victoria, Edward VII's mother and predecessor, had been an unrehearsed and somewhat lacklustre event in the Abbey, though the newly extended street procession and celebrations around the country had been a great success. Victoria's Golden and Diamond Jubilees had created the expectation that Edward's coronation equally would be an expression of the nation's status as a great imperial power. In December 1901, an Executive Coronation Committee was formed, whose leading member, Viscount Esher, worked closely with the King to set the agenda for the event.[2] Esher had been responsible for organising the Diamond Jubilee in 1897 and was one of the driving forces behind the renewed enthusiasm for royal ceremonial.[3] The position of Director of Music was given to Sir Frederick Bridge, the organist and choirmaster at Westminster Abbey; the first Abbey organist since Henry Purcell to be given that role. Bridge had successfully transformed the quality of music at the Abbey and had directed the music at the Golden Jubilee, for which he had been made a Member of the Royal Victorian Order.[4]

Lady Curzon, wife of Lord Curzon of Kedleston, Viceroy of India, contributed the design of the Queen's coronation gown.[5] Alexandra had personally asked Curzon to help her with the design in July 1901.[6] Curzon was given a free hand to decide on the gown's design, with Alexandra stipulating only that the motifs should include the floral emblems of England, Scotland, and Ireland, being the English Tudor rose, the Scots' thistle, and the Irish shamrock.[6] As Alexandra was to wear a heavy velvet and ermine mantle, it was decided that the gown itself should be made of lightweight gold net with metallic embroidery, the Zari of India of which Lady Curzon was an admirer.[6] However, it is not clear whether the gown or only its cloth was made in India.[6] A gown made of the same material, Zari, and bearing motifs relevant to India, was made for Lady Curzon (whose husband was Viceroy of India at the time) to wear at the event held in Delhi to mark the coronation.[7] Work on stitching queen Alexandra's gown began in October 1901 and finished in February 1902, with final alterations made by the House of Worth of Paris.[6]

Illness and postponement edit

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.

 
Headline in The Northern Echo of 25 June 1902, announcing the postponement of the coronation.

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 perityphlitis. The condition on Saturday was so satisfactory that it was hoped that with care His Majesty would be able to go through the Coronation ceremonies. On Monday evening a recrudescence became manifest, rendering a surgical operation necessary today".[9] It was undersigned by, among others, Lord Lister and Sir Frederick Treves,[9] who actually carried out the operation on a table in the Music Room at Buckingham Palace, to drain his abdominal cyst.[8]

On 26 June itself, a "solemn service of intercession" was held at St Paul's Cathedral, which was attended by many of the British and foreign dignitaries who were in London for the coronation.[10] Although workmen immediately received instructions to begin dismantling the wooden stands that had been erected along the route of the procession, Edward was insistent that regional celebrations and a planned "Coronation Dinner for the Poor of London" should go ahead.[9] Organised by Sir Thomas Lipton, 500,000 dinners were served to Londoners on 5 July at 800 locations around the capital.[11] The King personally contributed £30,000 toward the cost[11] and there were donations by commercial companies and wealthy individuals. The confectionery maker Rowntree's provided each diner with a tin of chocolate and a rather better one for the 60,000 people who had acted as stewards on the grounds that they would "be of greater influence socially than the poor".[12]

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 edit

 
The King and Queen leaving for their coronation from Buckingham Palace
 
The moment of crowning in the coronation service; painting by Edwin Austin Abbey
 
The anointing of Queen Alexandra; painting by Laurits Tuxen

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]

 
An impression by Edith Harwood (1866–1926) of the colonial princes at Edward's coronation, from The Masque of the Edwards of England published in 1902

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 edit

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 Walter Parratt, the Master of the King's Music, who had the influence at court that Bridge lacked.[24] Bridge decided to make the coronation a celebration of four hundred years of English music.[25] Settings of the coronation texts composed by Thomas Tallis, Orlando Gibbons and Henry Purcell were included alongside works by contemporary composers such as Arthur Sullivan, Charles Villiers Stanford and John Stainer. New work commissioned for the occasion famously included Hubert Parry's setting of Psalm 122, I was glad which skillfully incorporated the traditional acclamation of "Vivat Rex" by the King's Scholars of Westminster School on the entrance of the sovereign. It has been used at both coronations since.[26] French composer Camille Saint-Saëns was also commissioned to write a work for the occasion, his Marche du Couronnement, opus 117,[27] which, together with pieces by Tchaikovsky, Wagner and Gounod, was played as introductory music before the arrival of the king and was the only music by foreign composers.[28]

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.[29] Bridge not only delegated the organ to Walter Alcock, but also used two sub-conductors, and furthermore alternated with Parratt in conducting from the top of the organ screen. The only real musical error was that Bridge misjudged the timing of I Was Glad and had finished the anthem before the King had arrived, having to repeat it when the right moment came. Bridge was saved by the organist, who improvised in the interim.[30]

Procession edit

 
The Procession in State passes through the London streets
 
A contingent of the King's African Rifles, photographed by John Benjamin Stone

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 edit

 
The battleship HMS Mars dressed overall at the Coronation Fleet Review

Aside from the postponed procession, the final coronation event was the Review of the Fleet on 16 August at Spithead off the coast at Portsmouth. Without bringing a single warship back from any overseas station, the Royal Navy was able to muster 20 battleships, 24 cruisers and 47 destroyers. A number of foreign warships were invited to participate. An estimated crowd of 100,000 watched from the shore or from pleasure steamers and small boats at sea.[11] Although there had been no less than seventeen fleet reviews during Victoria's reign, this was the first to be associated with a coronation.[34]

On the morning of the review, the King had an audience aboard the royal yacht with three Boer commanders; Louis Botha, Christiaan de Wet and Koos de la Rey. This is remarkable because the Treaty of Vereeniging ending the bitterly fought Second Boer War had only been concluded on 31 May that year. On the following day, the King was well enough to watch fleet exercises at sea.[35]

Royal guests edit

British royal family edit

Other descendants of the King's maternal great-grandfather, King George III and their families:

Foreign royals edit

Guests at the service of intercession edit

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:

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Arnold Powell (15 March 2010). A Touch of Chutzpah. AuthorHouse. p. 112. ISBN 978-1-4670-0587-6.
  2. ^ Cowgill, Rachel and Rushton, Julian (2006) Europe, Empire, and Spectacle in Nineteenth-century British Music, Ashgate Publishing Limited, ISBN 978-0-7546-5208-3 (pp. 115–116)
  3. ^ Range, Matthias (2012), Music and Ceremonial at British Coronations: From James I to Elizabeth II 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-1-107-02344-4 (pp. 225–262)
  4. ^ Beeson, Trevor (2009) In Tuneful Accord: The Church Musicians, SCM Press, ISBN 978-0-334-04193-1 (p. 80)
  5. ^ Thomas, Nicola J. (1 July 2007). "Embodying Imperial Spectacle: Dressing Lady Curzon, Vicereine of India 1899–1905". Cultural Geographies. 14:369–400 (3): 388. Bibcode:2007CuGeo..14..369T. doi:10.1177/1474474007078205. S2CID 143628645.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ Chrisman-Campbell, Kimberly (2019). Worn on This Day: the Clothes That Made History. Philadelphia: Running Press. pp. 6–7. ISBN 978-0-7624-9357-9. OCLC 1089571878.
  8. ^ a b Ridley, Jane (2012) Bertie: A Life of Edward VII, Chatto & Windus, ISBN 978-0-7011-7614-3 (pp. 366–367)
  9. ^ a b c . blog.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk. The British Newspaper Archive. 23 June 2013. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
  10. ^ 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)
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ Davenport-Hines, Peter (1986), Markets and Bagmen: Studies in the History of Marketing and British Industrial Performance, 1830–1939, Ashgate Publishing Limited, ISBN 978-0-566-05066-4 (p. 33)
  13. ^ See, e.g., Krell v Henry [1903] 2 KB 740.
  14. ^ a b . www.royal.uk. The Royal Family. Archived from the original on 18 April 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  15. ^ Richards, Jeffrey (2001), Imperialism and Music: Britain, 1876–1953, Manchester University Press, ISBN 0-7190-6143-1 (p. 101)
  16. ^ Richards (pp. 103–104)
  17. ^ (PDF). www.lambethpalacelibrary.org. Lambeth Palace Library. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2013. (p. 14)
  18. ^ Lambeth Palace Library Research Guide (p. 19)
  19. ^ Hopkins (p. 415)
  20. ^ Ridley, Jane (30 August 2012). Bertie: A Life of Edward VII. Random House. ISBN 9781448161119. Retrieved 11 March 2023 – via Google Books.
  21. ^ Dennison, pp. 233–234
  22. ^ Hopkins (pp. 413–414)
  23. ^ Battiscombe, Georgina (1969). Queen Alexandra. London: Constable. p. 249. ISBN 0-09-456560-0.
  24. ^ Cowgill & Rushton (p. 117)
  25. ^ Richards (p. 104)
  26. ^ Beeson (p. 80)
  27. ^ Macdonald, Hugh (2021). Saint-Saëns and the Stage: Operas, Plays, Pageants, a Ballet and a Film. Cambridge University Press. p. 130. ISBN 978-1108445092.
  28. ^ "Edward VII Coronation Music" (PDF). www.westminster-abbey.org. Dean and Chapter of Westminster. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  29. ^ Range, Matthias (2012). Music and Ceremonial at British Coronations: From James I to Elizabeth II. London: Cambridge University Press. p. 224. ISBN 978-1-107-02344-4.
  30. ^ Cowgill & Rushton (pp. 124–125)
  31. ^ Hopkins (p. 373)
  32. ^ "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.
  33. ^ "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
  34. ^ Willmott, Hedley Paul [de] (2010) The Last Century of Sea Power: From Washington to Tokyo, 1922–1945, Indiana University Press, ISBN 978-0-253-35214-9 (p. 24)
  35. ^ Hopkins (p. 419)
  36. ^ "No. 27489". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 October 1902. p. 6874.
  37. ^ "Royal Guests at the Coronation of Edward VII". www.chatsworth.org. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  38. ^ "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".
  39. ^ "The coronation of Edward the Seventh : A chapter of European and imperial history". 1903.

External links edit

  • "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.

coronation, edward, alexandra, coronation, edward, wife, alexandra, king, queen, united, kingdom, british, dominions, took, place, westminster, abbey, london, august, 1902, originally, scheduled, june, that, year, ceremony, been, postponed, very, short, notice. The coronation of Edward VII and his wife Alexandra as king and queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions took place at Westminster Abbey London on 9 August 1902 Originally scheduled for 26 June of that year the ceremony had been postponed at very short notice because the King had been taken ill with an abdominal abscess that required immediate surgery 1 In contrast to the coronation of Queen Victoria Edward s mother and predecessor some 64 years earlier Edward and Alexandra s coronation had been carefully planned as a spectacle reflecting the influence and culture of the British Empire then at the height of its power but also as a meaningful religious occasion Coronation of Edward VII and AlexandraThe King and Queen in their coronation robesDate9 August 1902 121 years ago 1902 08 09 LocationWestminster Abbey London EnglandParticipantsKing Edward VII Queen Alexandra Great Officers of State Archbishops and Bishops Assistant of the Church of England Garter Principal King of Arms Peers of the Realm Mistress of the Robes Contents 1 Preparations 2 Illness and postponement 3 The service 3 1 Music 4 Procession 5 Coronation Review of the Fleet 6 Royal guests 6 1 British royal family 6 2 Foreign royals 6 3 Guests at the service of intercession 7 See also 8 References 9 External linksPreparations editThe 1838 coronation of Queen Victoria Edward VII s mother and predecessor had been an unrehearsed and somewhat lacklustre event in the Abbey though the newly extended street procession and celebrations around the country had been a great success Victoria s Golden and Diamond Jubilees had created the expectation that Edward s coronation equally would be an expression of the nation s status as a great imperial power In December 1901 an Executive Coronation Committee was formed whose leading member Viscount Esher worked closely with the King to set the agenda for the event 2 Esher had been responsible for organising the Diamond Jubilee in 1897 and was one of the driving forces behind the renewed enthusiasm for royal ceremonial 3 The position of Director of Music was given to Sir Frederick Bridge the organist and choirmaster at Westminster Abbey the first Abbey organist since Henry Purcell to be given that role Bridge had successfully transformed the quality of music at the Abbey and had directed the music at the Golden Jubilee for which he had been made a Member of the Royal Victorian Order 4 Lady Curzon wife of Lord Curzon of Kedleston Viceroy of India contributed the design of the Queen s coronation gown 5 Alexandra had personally asked Curzon to help her with the design in July 1901 6 Curzon was given a free hand to decide on the gown s design with Alexandra stipulating only that the motifs should include the floral emblems of England Scotland and Ireland being the English Tudor rose the Scots thistle and the Irish shamrock 6 As Alexandra was to wear a heavy velvet and ermine mantle it was decided that the gown itself should be made of lightweight gold net with metallic embroidery the Zari of India of which Lady Curzon was an admirer 6 However it is not clear whether the gown or only its cloth was made in India 6 A gown made of the same material Zari and bearing motifs relevant to India was made for Lady Curzon whose husband was Viceroy of India at the time to wear at the event held in Delhi to mark the coronation 7 Work on stitching queen Alexandra s gown began in October 1901 and finished in February 1902 with final alterations made by the House of Worth of Paris 6 Illness and postponement editBy 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 nbsp Headline in The Northern Echo of 25 June 1902 announcing the postponement of the coronation 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 perityphlitis The condition on Saturday was so satisfactory that it was hoped that with care His Majesty would be able to go through the Coronation ceremonies On Monday evening a recrudescence became manifest rendering a surgical operation necessary today 9 It was undersigned by among others Lord Lister and Sir Frederick Treves 9 who actually carried out the operation on a table in the Music Room at Buckingham Palace to drain his abdominal cyst 8 On 26 June itself a solemn service of intercession was held at St Paul s Cathedral which was attended by many of the British and foreign dignitaries who were in London for the coronation 10 Although workmen immediately received instructions to begin dismantling the wooden stands that had been erected along the route of the procession Edward was insistent that regional celebrations and a planned Coronation Dinner for the Poor of London should go ahead 9 Organised by Sir Thomas Lipton 500 000 dinners were served to Londoners on 5 July at 800 locations around the capital 11 The King personally contributed 30 000 toward the cost 11 and there were donations by commercial companies and wealthy individuals The confectionery maker Rowntree s provided each diner with a tin of chocolate and a rather better one for the 60 000 people who had acted as stewards on the grounds that they would be of greater influence socially than the poor 12 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 edit nbsp The King and Queen leaving for their coronation from Buckingham Palace nbsp The moment of crowning in the coronation service painting by Edwin Austin Abbey nbsp The anointing of Queen Alexandra painting by Laurits Tuxen 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 nbsp An impression by Edith Harwood 1866 1926 of the colonial princes at Edward s coronation from The Masque of the Edwards of England published in 1902 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 edit 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 Walter Parratt the Master of the King s Music who had the influence at court that Bridge lacked 24 Bridge decided to make the coronation a celebration of four hundred years of English music 25 Settings of the coronation texts composed by Thomas Tallis Orlando Gibbons and Henry Purcell were included alongside works by contemporary composers such as Arthur Sullivan Charles Villiers Stanford and John Stainer New work commissioned for the occasion famously included Hubert Parry s setting of Psalm 122 I was glad which skillfully incorporated the traditional acclamation of Vivat Rex by the King s Scholars of Westminster School on the entrance of the sovereign It has been used at both coronations since 26 French composer Camille Saint Saens was also commissioned to write a work for the occasion his Marche du Couronnement opus 117 27 which together with pieces by Tchaikovsky Wagner and Gounod was played as introductory music before the arrival of the king and was the only music by foreign composers 28 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 29 Bridge not only delegated the organ to Walter Alcock but also used two sub conductors and furthermore alternated with Parratt in conducting from the top of the organ screen The only real musical error was that Bridge misjudged the timing of I Was Glad and had finished the anthem before the King had arrived having to repeat it when the right moment came Bridge was saved by the organist who improvised in the interim 30 Procession edit nbsp The Procession in State passes through the London streets nbsp A contingent of the King s African Rifles photographed by John Benjamin Stone 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 edit nbsp The battleship HMS Mars dressed overall at the Coronation Fleet Review Aside from the postponed procession the final coronation event was the Review of the Fleet on 16 August at Spithead off the coast at Portsmouth Without bringing a single warship back from any overseas station the Royal Navy was able to muster 20 battleships 24 cruisers and 47 destroyers A number of foreign warships were invited to participate An estimated crowd of 100 000 watched from the shore or from pleasure steamers and small boats at sea 11 Although there had been no less than seventeen fleet reviews during Victoria s reign this was the first to be associated with a coronation 34 On the morning of the review the King had an audience aboard the royal yacht with three Boer commanders Louis Botha Christiaan de Wet and Koos de la Rey This is remarkable because the Treaty of Vereeniging ending the bitterly fought Second Boer War had only been concluded on 31 May that year On the following day the King was well enough to watch fleet exercises at sea 35 Royal guests editBritish royal family edit 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 nbsp 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 nbsp 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 nbsp 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 nbsp 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 King George III and their families 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 nbsp The Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg Strelitz the King s first cousin once removed nbsp 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 edit nbsp The Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine the King s nephew nbsp Prince and Princess Henry of Prussia the King s nephew and niece representing his brother the German Emperor nbsp The Crown Prince of Denmark the Queen s brother representing his father the King of Denmark nbsp The Duke and Duchess of Sparta the Queen s nephew and the King s niece representing his father the King of the Hellenes nbsp Prince George of Greece and Denmark the Queen s nephew nbsp 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 nbsp Ras Makonnen Wolde Mikael representing his cousin the Emperor of Ethiopia nbsp Prince and Princess Edward of Saxe Weimar representing his cousin the Grand Duke of Saxe Weimar Eisenach nbsp 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 nbsp 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 edit 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 nbsp Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia the Queen s nephew representing his brother the Russian Emperor nbsp The Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg the Queen s first cousin once removed representing his father the Grand Duke of Luxembourg nbsp Prince Albert of Belgium the King s second cousin representing his uncle the King of the Belgians nbsp The Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg Strelitz the King s second cousin representing his father the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg Strelitz nbsp The Crown Prince of Montenegro husband of the late King s second cousin once removed representing his father the Prince of Montenegro nbsp Prince Philipp of Saxe Coburg and Gotha the King s second cousin nbsp Duke Robert of Wurttemberg the King s second cousin once removed representing his cousin the King of Wurttemberg nbsp The Prince Royal of Portugal the King s second cousin twice removed representing his father the King of Portugal nbsp The Crown Prince of Sweden and Norway the king s third cousin twice removed representing his father the King of Sweden and Norway nbsp Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria representing his uncle the Emperor of Austria nbsp Prince Leopold of Bavaria representing his father the Prince Regent of Bavaria nbsp Prince Zaizhen of China representing his cousin the Emperor of China nbsp Prince Mohammed Ali of Egypt representing his brother the Khedive of Egypt and Sudan nbsp The Duke and Duchess of Aosta representing his first cousin the King of Italy nbsp Prince Komatsu Akihito representing his cousin the Emperor of Japan nbsp Prince Yi Kang representing his father the Emperor of Korea nbsp The Hereditary Prince of Monaco representing his father the Prince of Monaco nbsp Prince Mass oud Mirza of Persia representing his brother the Shah of Persia nbsp Prince Johann Georg of Saxony representing his uncle the King of Saxony nbsp The Crown Prince of Siam representing his father the King of Siam nbsp Infante Carlos of Spain representing his brother in law the King of Spain nbsp Prince Said Ali representing the Sultan of Zanzibar 37 38 39 See also edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Coronation of Edward VII 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 TowerReferences edit Arnold Powell 15 March 2010 A Touch of Chutzpah AuthorHouse p 112 ISBN 978 1 4670 0587 6 Cowgill Rachel and Rushton Julian 2006 Europe Empire and Spectacle in Nineteenth century British Music Ashgate Publishing Limited ISBN 978 0 7546 5208 3 pp 115 116 Range Matthias 2012 Music and Ceremonial at British Coronations From James I to Elizabeth II Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Cambridge University Press ISBN 978 1 107 02344 4 pp 225 262 Beeson Trevor 2009 In Tuneful Accord The Church Musicians SCM Press ISBN 978 0 334 04193 1 p 80 Thomas Nicola J 1 July 2007 Embodying Imperial Spectacle Dressing Lady Curzon Vicereine of India 1899 1905 Cultural Geographies 14 369 400 3 388 Bibcode 2007CuGeo 14 369T doi 10 1177 1474474007078205 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 Chrisman Campbell Kimberly 2019 Worn on This Day the Clothes That Made History Philadelphia Running Press pp 6 7 ISBN 978 0 7624 9357 9 OCLC 1089571878 a b Ridley Jane 2012 Bertie A Life of Edward VII Chatto amp Windus 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 Davenport Hines Peter 1986 Markets and Bagmen Studies in the History of Marketing and British Industrial Performance 1830 1939 Ashgate Publishing Limited 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 Richards Jeffrey 2001 Imperialism and Music Britain 1876 1953 Manchester University Press 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 Ridley Jane 30 August 2012 Bertie A Life of Edward VII Random House ISBN 9781448161119 Retrieved 11 March 2023 via Google Books Dennison pp 233 234 Hopkins pp 413 414 Battiscombe Georgina 1969 Queen Alexandra London Constable p 249 ISBN 0 09 456560 0 Cowgill amp Rushton p 117 Richards p 104 Beeson p 80 Macdonald Hugh 2021 Saint Saens and the Stage Operas Plays Pageants a Ballet and a Film Cambridge University Press p 130 ISBN 978 1108445092 Edward VII Coronation Music PDF www westminster abbey org Dean and Chapter of Westminster Retrieved 10 February 2022 Range Matthias 2012 Music and Ceremonial at British Coronations From James I to Elizabeth II London Cambridge University Press p 224 ISBN 978 1 107 02344 4 Cowgill amp 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 Willmott Hedley Paul de 2010 The Last Century of Sea Power From Washington to Tokyo 1922 1945 Indiana University Press 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 edit 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 Pathe 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 Pathe Retrieved 2 April 2023 Scenes from the Coronation Parade of King Edward VII in London Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Coronation of Edward VII and Alexandra amp oldid 1217372571, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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