KING AND QUEEN ENTER THEIR KINGDOM

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 99, 13 May 1937, Page 5

KING AND QUEEN ENTER THEIR KINGDOM

-Press Association-

Scenes of August Grandeur Enacted At Westminster Abbey PEOPLE ON TIP-TOE OF iXPECTATION

(By Telegraph-

— Copyright)

LONDON, May J9 Before the high altar of England in ihe heart of that "acre sown, in - deed, with the richest, royalest seed" whieh is Westminster Abbey, King George the Sixth and his Queen came to their. crowning here amid a scene of earthly splendour refiecting a splendoar, not of earth, but from on High . The mnnarch entered the kingdm, the power, md the glory conferred upon him by God. Apart from the august grandeur of the sarroundings there was in the unforgettable scene something of the supernatural that pene - trated ihe soul of every witness .

Preludi to the great event that was %9 emblazon this day upon the royal xeeord of England was the chanting of ithe Litany aa the Dean, prebendaries »nd choir of - Westminster paced from the altar glittering with Abbey Plate, (to the west door. Here,, with the Archbishops of Canterbury and York and assistant bishops coped and mitred, a proeegsion was formed, It awaited outeidq the Abbey the approaeh of their Majesties to the noble f ane in whieh awaited them the flower and prdde of the greatest Empire of the world, The King and Queen in their royal rabeg slowly entered. Seven thousand people quitted the tip-toe pf expectation and stoqd, Their Majesties were received with ithe anthem from psalm 22, verses 1 to 3 and 6 to 7, sung by the Westminster choir of f our hundred voices, combining the dhoirs of the Chapel Royal, Saint George 's, Windsor, Saint Paul 'a Cathedral, the Tqmple Church and other churehes, with an orchestra drawn from the principal orchestras of I/jndon, The Royal couple, in stately pragregs, mpved through the Abbey over a specially woven blue carpet covering the j*#!Cpasional path along the choifj upstaara to the theatre. This was a rectangular space overlooking the" ehoir in front of the Coronation Chair, hanked by princes of the blood in three special chairs. Peers stood in the eouth transept apd bejewelled peeresses in the liorth transept, all, as yet, bareheaded. Members of the House of Commons were behind the peers and peeresses with the Dominion Premiers, ambassadors and Indian Princes in resplendent Coronation garb ranged the choir stalls. The Rpy&l Box in whieh sat Princesses tJHaabeth and Margaret Rose fianked the Coronation Chair. Traditional Privileg®, A# the echoes of the anthem died, the boya of Westminster School behind lQfty, triforium arehes, high dn the Abbey Hall. cheered the Kine- in a.c-

cordance with traditional privilege, on behalf of the people of England; thrice repeating the xemaining fragment of the old Latin eervice of Elizabeth 's day — • ' Yivat, Be* Georgius. Yivat, Yivat." Their Majesties, havjng passed their thrones, the backs of whieh wero emblazoned with the Boyal Arms and initials, made adoration as they knelt with bowed heads before their chairs of -State and prayed silently. Pew there wero of their subjects but prayed silently with them. The King and Quoen rose and seated themselves in their chairs. Then came the ceremony of recognition. Accompanied by the Lord Chancellor (Lqrd Hailsham), the Lord Great . Chamberlain (Lord Lancaster), the Lord High Constable (The Marquess of Crewe), and the Earl Marshal (The Duke of Norfolk) in their array, preceded by the resplendently tabarded Garter King qf Arms (Sir Gerald Wollaston), the Archbishop of Canterbury, a venerable figure in his canonicals, spoke in turn to a rapt cpngregation from the four sides of the theatre. The King turned and ehowed himself to his people as the Archbishop of Canterbury saidj "Sirs, I here present untn you King George, you undoubted King, wherefore, all of you who aTe come this day to do your homage and servi^e, are you willing to do the same?,, "God

Save King George " came with repeated acclamations from the entire assemblage as the vast host cried with many voices, but with a single heart the response of the realm. The silver miraele of trumpets triumphed through the aisle archway. Silence fell as Bible, Paton^and Chalice were placed on the altar by assistant bishops and LordB in procession carrying the Eoyal regalia drew nigh. These were Yiseount Halifax with Saint Edward'g staff, Viscount Trenchard with the Third Sword, The Earl of Cork and Orrery with the Curtana (blunted sword of mercy), the Marquess of Zetland with the Sword of State, the Duke of Bichmond and Gordon bearing the Seeptre with the dove, the Duke of Sutherland, the Orb, the Marquess of Salisbury, Saint Edward's crown, the Earl of Haddington the Queen 's ivory rod with the dove, and the Duke of Portland, the Queen 's crown, The peers h&nded these insignia to the ATchbishop of Canterbury whq presented them to the Dean of Westminster to place on tjie altar. The ATchbishop of Canterbury, the only moving figure amid the motionless throng, advanced to the King. "Sir," he said, "is your Majesty willing to take the oath?'' The King's Pledge, The King, pledging himself to hiis great destiny answered: "I am willing." The ceremony, gathering dignity and splendour, moved to its appointed climax as King George, the book containing the order of service in his hands, steadily and steadfastly replied to (ho qpestions requisite tq the confirmation of his kingship, the order qf whieh was as 'follows: — - The Archbishop: Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the peoples of Great Britain, Ireland, Canada, Australia, Kew Zealand, and the Unfcn of Sauth Africa, of your posses-'

siong and the other territories to any of them belonging or pertaining, and of your Empire of India, according to their respective laws and customs? The King; X solemnly promise so to do. • The Archbishop: Will you to your power cause law and justice, in mercy, to be executed in all your judgments? The King: I'will. vThe Archbishop: Will you, to the utmost of your power, maintain the Laws of Goi| and the true profession of the Gospel? Will you, to the utmost of your power, maintain in the Uaited Kingdom the Protestant Eeformed Eeligion established by law? And will you maintain and preserve inviolably the settlement of the Church .of England, and the doctuine, worship, dis?ipline, and government thereof, as by law established in England? And will you preserve unto the Bishops and Clergy of England, and to tho Churches there committed to their charge, all such rights and privileges, as by law do or shall appertain to them, or any of them? . The King: All this I promise to do. His Majesty then went to the altar where he made his solemn oath to observe the promlses. He returned to his chair where the Archbishop ministered the deelaration prescribcd by Act of Parliament.