Coronation of the British monarch

The Coronation of the British monarch is a ceremony (specifically, initiation rite) in which the monarch of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth Realms is formally crowned and invested with regalia. The coronation usually takes place several months after the death of the previous monarch, for the coronation is considered a joyous occasion that would be inappropriate when mourning still continues. (It also gives planners enough time to complete the elaborate arrangements required for great State ceremony.) For example, Elizabeth II was crowned on June 2, 1953, despite having acceded to the throne on February 6, 1952, the day of her father's death.

Enthronement as Emperor

Victoria assumed the title Empress of India in 1877. Neither she nor her successor, Edward VII, were specifically crowned with this title. George V, however, visited India to be enthroned along with his wife in 1911. The Durbar, or Imperial Court, was for political reasons held not at the capital, Calcutta, but in Delhi. Since it was deemed inappropriate for the Christian anointing and coronation to take place in a Hindu nation, George V was not crowned in India; instead, he wore a crown as he entered the Durbar. British law prohibited the removal of the British Crown Jewels from the nation; therefore, a separate crown, known as the Imperial Crown of India, was created for George V. The Emperor was enthroned, and the Indian princes paid homage to him. Thereafter, certain political decisions, such as the decision to move the capital from Calcutta to Delhi, were announced at the Durbar. The Durbar was in reality held in order to announce these political changes, and to display the power of the Emperor, rather than to celebrate George V's accession. The ceremony was not repeated, and the imperial title was abandoned by George VI in 1948 (though India had become independent a year earlier). Pictures and text from a book published for the ceremony are available at Coronation Durbar of 1911.

Related Topics:
Empress of India - 1877 - George V - India - 1911 - Calcutta - Delhi - Hindu - Imperial Crown of India - 1948

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~