KING'S SOLEMN OATH

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 112, 13 May 1937, Page 9

KING'S SOLEMN OATH

PLEDGE TO THE NATION

| UPHOLDING PEOPLE'S RIGHT

, The acclamations died to awed stillness, broken by the Archbishop of Canterbury's measured recital: "God crown you with • crown of glory and righteousness, that by the ministry of this our benediction, having a right faith and manifold fruit of good works, ' you may obtain the crown of an everlasting kingdom iby the gift of Him whose kingdom endureth for ever. Amen." The voices of the choristers soared anew, consecrating.that immortal hour, that moment of eternity, which none privileged to hear it shall ever forget. .. The King received the Bible and the blessing of the Archbishop of York, the' Bishops and peers following every part of the benediction with a united "Amen." ' ' -: The Inthronisation - j The great pageant shaped itself anew towards the Inthronisation. No more fitting description of the ceremony can be employed than that of the order of service: Then shall the King go to his throne and be lifted up into it by the Archbishops and Bishops, and other: peers of the Kingdom; and being inthronised, or placed therein, all the great officers, those that bear the Swords and Sceptres, and the nobles who carried the other regalia, shall stand round about the steps of the throne; and the Archbishop sail say: "Stand firm, and hold fast from henceforth the seat and state of Royal and Imperial dignity, which is this day delivered unto you, in the name and by the authority of Almighty God, and by the hands of us the Bishops and servants of God, though unworthy; and as you see us to approach nearer to God's altar, so vouchsafe the more graciously to continue to us your Royal favour and protection. And the Lord God Almighty, whose ministers we are, and the stewards of His prayers, establish your throne in righteousness, that it may stand fast for evermore, like as the soni before^ Him, and as the faithful witness in heaven." , , 1 I Homage to the King f \ The picture of his Majesty, and the fealty embodied by thi King with his peers and his prelates clustered about him, held enthralled those who looked on. Tremendous in its significance, it was the most memorable scene of the series of changing pageants, nobly observed in every part. The exhortation having ended, every Prince and peer present did homage to the King. The Arclibishop and Bishops first did homage, and they were followed by the Duke of Gloucester and other Princes of the Royal blood, and other Peers of the Realm. The first peer of each order, putting off his coronet, ascended the throne and touched the crown of his Majesty's head as promising for himself and his order to be ever ready to support it with all their power. He also kissed the King's cheek. Six "Homage Anthems," significant of five centuries of English musical history, were sung. Then were beaten the drums. In. their mellow thunder one heard the drums of England that beat right round the f world. Trumpets sounded together, even as the morning stars, till tha sheer glory of it all brought the people's hearts to their lips whence rose the united mighty shout: "God Save King George, Long Live King George, May the King Live for Ever." ,\ Thus ended the solemnity of the King's Coronation. d~- Crowning of the Queen The Archbishop of Canterbury, leaving the King enthroned, offered at the altar a prayer for the Queen, who, moving towards the altar steps, supported by two bishops, prepared for her own crowning. She rose and was anointed, kneeling>at the faldstool before the altar, while four peeresses held a cloth of gold pall. The Archbishop of Canterbury placed a ring on her right hand and crowned her in accordance with the appointed ceremonial with the Queen's Crown, on which scintillated the Koh-i-Noor diamond—"The mountain of light." Lambent, jewelled lightnings played above the coiffured heads of the peeresses as they donned their coronets. Then were the Sceptre and the Ivory Rod with the Dove handed to Queen Elizabeth, who, anointed and crowned, and bearing her ornaments, left the altar for the theatre, every inch a Queen, while every Scottish heart beat high with pride. She bowed^ reverently to the King as she passed his throne, which was slightly higher than hers. As she took her 'seat, the organ swelled into a diapason, and the choir sang an offertory. Their Majestic?, relinquishing their Sceptres, were attended to the altar, where they removed their Crowns and knelt. The ceremony of offering bread and wine by the King1 for the Communion and the making of oblations by the King and Queen followed, after which they returned to their chairs. After a short service, the King and Queen again put on their Crowns, and, taking the Sceptres in their hands, returned to their thrones. j Procession to the Chapel During the post-communal service which followed, the King, attended and accompanied as before, proceeded to jthe- area eastward of the theatre and passed on through the door on the couth side of the altar into Saint Edward's Chapel. As they passed the altar, the rest of the regalia lying upon it were given by the Dean of Westminster to the Lords who carried them in the procession, and so they proceeded in state into the Chapel. The Queen at the came time entered the Chapel by the door on the north side of the altar. The Sceptre and Dove were delivered to the. Archbishop, and the Golden Spurs and Saint Edward's Staff to the Dean of Westminster. The King was disrobed of the Royal Robe of State and dressed in his robe of purple velvet, and wearing the Imperial Crown, received the Orb from the Archbishop. Their Majesties proceeded through the choir to the west door of the church, once again the gateway of history. The Imperial Crown worn by the King contained the ruby of the Black Prince, which Henry V wore in his helmet at Agincourt, the Star of Africa diamond, and other historic gems, a thousand brilliants, a thousand rose diamonds, and'three hundred pearls. All the peers wore coronets. To Their Future and Their Fate The first and last verses of the National Anthem were sung, accompanied by the full power of orchestra and organ. The last verse was given "by all assembled." Their vast assemblage extended far beyond the walls of the Abbey, and the Broadcasting Corporation, as tneir voices rose, unfolded the last scroll of the long story of England's church music to a listening world. The Abbey service was over, enriching the memories of those attending it with the pageant of an older England whose figures emerged from the past to encompass the Sovereign in a galaxy reproducing the feudal splendours of the Norman and Plantagenet Kings. Thus for the past—here was the present. Outside, the proud capital of the British Commonwealth of Nations, was London, heraldic in her splendour. The forces of the Empire, in long perspectives of power, stood to their arms. Thousands upon thousands of the King's subjects, ranked and banked and serried, stretching further than the eye could see, burst into cheer upon cheer. Crossing the threshold of the Abbe)', George the Sixth went forth with his consort to their future and their fate.