The Throne

In all, thirty-nine coronations have been held in Westminster Abbey, beginning with Harold II on 6 January 1066.

Only two monarchs - Edward V and Edward VIII - were uncrowned, and a further twenty or so Scottish monarchs were crowned usually at either Scone Abbey or Holyrood Abbey. In The Throne, Ian Lloyd will turn his inimitable, quick-witted style to these key events in British royal history, providing fascinating anecdotes and interesting facts: from William the Conqueror's Christmas Day crowning when jubilant shouts were mistaken by his guards as an assassination attempt to the dual coronation of William and Mary in 1689, and from the pared-back 'Half Crown-ation' of William IV to the televised spectacle of Elizabeth II's 1953 ceremony.

With the spectacle of the first coronation in seventy years promised in May 2023, Lloyd also introduces key elements of the service, such as the Coronation Chair made for King Edward I and the famously uncomfortable Gold State Coach, as well as changes in the Crown Jewels over the centuries. This will be a bright, accessible celebration of British culture and the ultimate pomp of royalty.

About the Author

Ian Lloyd has spent twenty years as a full-time writer and photographer, specialising in the British Royal Family. He has had two books in the Sunday Times bestseller list (both 2011) and writes regular features for the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, Hello Magazine and Majesty Magazine. Ian is also the Royal Correspondent for The Sunday Post and a regular royal pundit on Sky News, BBC News and BBC Radio 5 Live. He lives in Oxford.

20 b/w illustrations