Antique Image of the Day: The Coronation of 1953

Queen Elizabeth II enters Westminster
Abbey in 1953 on the day of
her coronation.
The Royal Collection

Upon the death of her father, King George VI, a young Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II. She was faced with a daunting journey as she took her place on the throne while still processing the passing of both her father and her grandmother, Queen Mary (of Teck).


The coronation was filled with tradition. This image by an unknown photographer shows the new Queen as she entered Westminster Abbey—radiant in her Parliamentary Robes.