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King George VI succeeded to the throne in 1936 following the abdication of his brother Edward VIII. His coronation took place the following year.
All through the night, people had been gathering along the procession route eager to witness firsthand the grand royal occasion and to show their championship of their new King. By morning the streets of London were awash with excited well wishers. When the King and Queen, splendid in their coronation robes, emerged from Buckingham Palace in the glittering gold and glass coach, the crowds showed their affection and support - waving, cheering and applauding the royal couple as they made their way to Westminster Abbey.
Inside Westminster Abbey the ancient, sacred ceremony took place. The Princesses sat beside their grandmother in the Royal Box, watching as their parents were crowned. Afterward, Princess Elizabeth noted in her Coronation Diary: 'I thought it all very, very wonderful and I expect the Abbey did too. The arches and beams at the top were covered with a sort of haze of wonder as 'Papa was crowned'.
As the magnificent royal cavalcade made its way back to Buckingham Palace, the happy crowds roared with enthusiasm crying 'God save the King!' and 'Long live the King' all along the journey.
The four exquisite coins of the Royal Maundy find their roots in the silver pennies of the Anglo-Saxon kings and have been distributed by the reigning monarch to elderly recipients on Maundy Thursday since at least the thirteenth century. Like the silver pennies of medieval times, they had always been struck in the traditional alloy of .925 sterling silver but those of George VI are unusual as they were struck in .500 silver.