Some 2,000 people, including Britain’s top royals, celebrated the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth the II’s coronation on Tuesday at a service in Westminster Abbey, Reuters reports.
Prince Charles, Prince Harry, and Prince William and his wife Kate, the duchess of Cambridge, were among the guests at the historic location in central London where the queen was crowned on June 2, 1953. She was 27 years old at the time.
Tuesday’s ceremony was one of the duchess’ last scheduled public appearance before she is due to give birth in mid-July.
The queen’s husband, Prince Philip, who turns 92 on Monday, was also present in spite of missing an earlier engagement because he felt “under the weather’’.
The service is the main event marking the queen’s coronation, which took place over a year after she succeeded to the throne. It was lower key than last year’s celebrations marking her Diamond Jubilee.
There were hymns and prayers. Prime Minister David Cameron gave a Bible reading and Archbishop Justin Welby led the service.
Welby began by reminding the congregation of the event 60 years ago, the first coronation to be televised and which was watched by 27 million Britons.
“A nation watched. It was the first time the whole nation had watched anything as it happened. But this they saw,’’ he said.
“Pomp and ceremony on a rainy June day, all so very British, wrapped in time and custom.’’