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ST. EDWARD'S CROWN, A FIVE-POUNDER,
IS HERS - ELIZABETH II IN 1953
Coronation Speech
It follows the full text transcript of
Queen Elizabeth II's speech, delivered on the
evening of her coronation day at London, United Kingdom —
June 2, 1953.
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When I spoke to
you last, |
at Christmas, I
asked you all, whatever your religion, to pray
for me on the day of my Coronation — to
pray that God would give me wisdom and strength
to carry out the promises that I should then be
making.
Throughout this memorable day I have been
uplifted and sustained by the knowledge that
your thoughts and prayers were with me. I have
been aware all the time that my peoples, spread
far and wide throughout every continent and
ocean in the world, were united to support me in
the task to which I have now been dedicated with
such solemnity.
Many thousands of you came to London from all
parts of the Commonwealth and Empire to join in
the ceremony, but I have been conscious too of
the millions of others who have shared in it by
means of wireless or television in their homes.
All of you, near or far, have been united in one
purpose. It is hard for me to find words in
which to tell you of the strength which this
knowledge has given me.
The ceremonies you have seen today are ancient,
and some of their origins are veiled in the
mists of the past. But their spirit and their
meaning shine through the ages never, perhaps,
more brightly than now. I have in sincerity
pledged myself to your service, as so many of
you are pledged to mine. Throughout all my life
and with all my heart I shall strive to be
worthy of your trust.
In this resolve I have my husband to support me.
He shares all my ideals and all my affection for
you. Then, although my experience is so short
and my task so new, I have in my parents and
grandparents an example which I can follow with
certainty and with confidence.
There is also this. I have behind me not only
the splendid traditions and the annals of more
than a thousand years but the living strength
and majesty of the Commonwealth and Empire; of
societies old and new; of lands and races
different in history and origins but all, by
God's Will, united in spirit and in aim.
Therefore I am sure that this, my Coronation, is
not the symbol of a power and a splendor that
are gone but a declaration of our hopes for the
future, and for the years I may, by God's Grace
and Mercy, be given to reign and serve you as
your Queen.
I have been speaking of the vast regions and
varied peoples to whom I owe my duty but there
has also sprung from our island home a theme of
social and political thought which constitutes
our message to the world and through the
changing generations has found acceptance both
within and far beyond my Realms.
Parliamentary institutions, with their free
speech and respect for the rights of minorities,
and the inspiration of a broad tolerance in
thought and expression — all this we
conceive to be a precious part of our way of
life and outlook.
During recent centuries, this message has been
sustained and invigorated by the immense
contribution, in language, literature, and
action, of the nations of our Commonwealth
overseas. It gives expression, as I pray it
always will, to living principles, as sacred to
the Crown and Monarchy as to its many
Parliaments and Peoples. I ask you now to
cherish them — and practice them too; then
we can go forward together in peace, seeking
justice and freedom for all men.
As this day draws to its close, I know that my
abiding memory of it will be, not only the
solemnity and beauty of the ceremony, but the
inspiration of your loyalty and affection.
I thank you all
from a full heart.
God bless you all.
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