QUEEN MARY CROWNED

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7869, 3 August 1911, Page 5

QUEEN MARY CROWNED

CLOSING SCENES IN TtCB ABBEY. JEOK OUR SPBOIAJ, COEEESPOIOBEN*LONDON, June 23. Her Majesty’s Coronation was short and comparatively simple, but provided a wonderful sight- She was anointed under the golden canopy by tho altaiv The Duchesses of Sutherland, Hamilton, Montrose and Portland hold the canopy high above the head of their Boyal mistress on whoso head the Crown was placed by the Archbishop of Canterbury. As this was done all the peeresses put on their coronets, a proceeding that might have provoked ribald laughter on a different occasion, for many of the high born ladies made a fearful hash of. tho business. Some could not get the coronets to sot upon their heads at all, and others only succeeded in getting thorn to stop on at an angle that can only be described as rakish. The Queen then passed back to the Throne curtsying low to tho King as she passed before him. After the enthronement came the celebration of the Holy Communion, and when that was over the King and Queen passed behind the altar into St. Edward's Chapel. Hero the King exchanged the Crown of St- Edward for another which he wore on his way back to Buckingham Palace. The Crown of St. Edward is far too heavy to bear, for long. . , , , . There was a short interval daring which the King changed his cloth of gold robes for those of crimson and ermine and during this period the minor royalties returned to the annexe to prepare for the return journey to the Palace. And then the King and Queen reappeared, with the strains of the National Anthem voiced by organ, band, ’choristers and the assembled multitude passed down the long aisle—crowned. Then wo in tho abbey enjoyed a unique privilege. As the strains of "God Save the King ” died away the headmaster of Westminster School, Dr. Gow, called upon his scholars for three cheers for the King. AViUi a will the boys started, and everybody joined in. "Three for the Queen" was an order obeyed to the full Tiy the boys., Then there, was a pause, and taking advantage of it. Dr. Gow smashed precedent into little bits by calling for three more cheers for the Prince of Wales. These were given with oven more. vigour than those for hie father and mother, for the congregation, had by this time quite overcome the diffidence that had restrained their voices when cheering for the King and Queen. Cheers in a place of worship—especially such a venerable pile as the abbey, seemed at first anomalous, to say the least of it, hut in the end the lead given by tho strong-throated AVestminster boy* proved irresistible to nearly everybody. :