The Queen's coronation took place on Tuesday, 2nd June 1953 - the date was selected by meteorologists who predicted it would be the most likely to have the best weather. In true British form, it rained.
On February 6, 1952, Elizabeth ascended the throne as the 25-year-old princess of England, after the passing of her father King George VI. However, it wasn't until 16 months later that she would be crowned the Queen of England.
Like her bridal gown, the Queen's coronation was a masterpiece created by Norman Hartnell. It took nearly eight months to complete and included tributes to the countries of the United Kingdom and other states within the Commonwealth of Nations.
Each floral emblem on her dress included:
- English Tudor Rose
- Scottish Thistle
- Welsh Leek
- Irish Shamrock
- Canadian Maple Leaf
- Australian Wattle
- New Zealand Silver Fern
- South African Protea
- Indian and Ceylon Lotus Flower
- Pakistan's Wheat, Cotton and Jute
But Hartnell included a special, secret detail that the Queen didn't know about...
On the day she was crowned Queen, Elizabeth took the Coronation Oath and officially became the ruling monarch of the U.K. and the Commonwealth.
A secret staff was hired out of the elite millionaire businessmen who offered their services after it became known that there was a shortage of professional coachmen. Many of the elite dressed up as servants to escort people to the ceremony.
But that wasn't the only secret detail...
Carefully sewn onto the the left side of Queen Elizabeth's coronation dress, was an extra four-leaved shamrock. Hartnell had carefully positioned it so that the Queen's hand would rest on the good luck charm throughout the ceremony.
Watch her entrance to the Coronation below:
[h/t People / Trending / The Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor]
